The Great Cicada Invasion of 2024 is upon us, with trillions of the noisy critters set to take over large swaths of the U.S. Unlike the familiar annual cicadas that buzz through our summers, these are periodical cicadas that lurk underground for 13 or 17 years before flooding the above-ground world in a synchronized spectacle. Residents in states like Georgia and South Carolina have already started experiencing the cacophony, where the decibels are hitting levels so high that unsuspecting residents are calling the sheriff's department, confused by the relentless drone.

As reported by MSN, this year's emergence in Illinois is historic. For the first time in 221 years, Illinois will host a simultaneous arrival of both a 13-year and a 17-year brood. Jim Louderman, Assistant Collections Manager of Insects at the Field Museum in Chicago, captured the intensity well when he said, "The noise is actually kind of deafening," he said. “It sounds like 100 chainsaws being used at the same time. For the first time in 221 years, both the 13 and the 17-year Cicadas will both emerge in Illinois at the same time.”

But cicadas aren't the only ones making a grand entrance this year. Killer cicada wasps are also set to emerge, poised to prey on the numerous cicadas. These venomous predators are known for their painful stings and can be common in areas like Tennessee, as mentioned by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. According to The Commercial Appeal, the wasps typically surface around July or August and may stick around until autumn.

Amidst this natural commotion, concerns arise over the sheer volume of the cicada chorus. With two massive broods set to converge, noise levels could soar to unprecedented heights. Confused and concerned, some residents in South Carolina have already alerted authorities, mistaking the horde's hum for sirens, as the Newberry County Sheriff's Office clarified on Facebook following the surge of calls. The overwhelming din caused by cicadas has left many in a state of alarm, as described in a statement covered by MSN. “We have had several calls about a noise in the air that sounds like a siren, or a whine, or a roar,” the department said. “The sound is cicadas.”

This brood's arrival is a rare natural event that citizens across the Eastern U.S. are witnessing, and while the cicadas themselves are harmless, their presence is anything but quiet.