Another insect with the potential to bug people is on the horizon in the United States.

Millions of cicadas are expected to emerge from underground for the first time in 17 years this spring in parts of the U.S., according to Virginia Tech’s Department of Entomology.

As many as 1.5 million cicadas per acre could arrive in parts of North Carolina, West Virginia and southwestern Virginia.

“Communities and farms with large numbers of cicadas emerging at once may have a substantial noise issue,” Virginia Tech entomologist Eric Day said. “Hopefully, any annoyance at the disturbance is tempered by just how infrequent — and amazing — this event is.”

Some species of cicadas only emerge every 13 to 17 years, with the insects spending the immature phases of their lives in the soil. Other species emerge every year.

They come out as adults to breed and lay eggs, with the cycle typically lasting four to six weeks before the insects die.

Much of the region expected to see the arrival of the cicadas has not witnessed such a phenomenon since 2003-04, though some parts of the area may have experienced the emergence of a different brood of the insects in 2013.

It’s the latest bug-related news in May. Earlier this month, it was revealed that Asian giant hornets — known as a “murder hornets” for their destruction of bee colonies — were spotted in Washington state late last year, marking the first time they’d been seen in the US.

Less than a week later, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee warned that Asian gypsy moths and Asian-European hybrid gypsy moths could pose a threat to agriculture in the state.

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