Here is a 2004 excerpt from a satirical website:
In 2004, the harmlessness and notoriety of the cicada
prompted Brandon Breeden, head writer of the website Cicadaville.com, to
spread satirical rumors about how cicadas are "vicious killers seething
with deadly venom," and how "children are [cicadas'] primary source
of nutrition." As a result, Breeden received emails thanking him
"for the truth about cicadas the government's been keeping secret." Then, as now, wackos cried “chicken little” and blamed the government for not protecting the people. It is beginning again, and probably the same wackos who see a government plot behind everything are getting upset. Here is an Obama administration person on the subject:
The Obama
administration currently has no plan to suppress the 'cicada invasion,'"
an administration official tells me. (Partly because, as off-putting as they
sound and appear, cicadas are good for plants and the affected environment.)
The reproductive phase of this critter doesn’t have mouth
parts, so can’t bite or feed on anything. The females have a strong shape prong
they dig into tree branches and lay their eggs in the furrow. Then they
die. The trees heal and the grubs fall into
the soil, attach themselves to roots and begin a synergistic relationship which
benefits both. So the next time you hear someone worrying about the “17 year
locusts” (they aren’t locusts which are related to grasshoppers), tell them to
worry about something else. If they tell you it is a government cover up, walk
away. You know for sure they are MORONS. Information: http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/05/political-history-cicadas-ronald-reagan
Information: http://ideastations.org/cicadawatch
Image: http://static.ideastations.org/nymph-adult-promo.jpg