READY FOR BROOD XIII?

If you haven’t seen them yet, you will soon. MILLIONS of nymphs, the first stage of development of the 17-year Cicadas will emerge from the ground in eastern Iowa, northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, northwestern Indiana and southern Michigan in late May or early June.

The heaviest emergence of this brood (Brood XIII) will be in areas with lots of trees and near rivers and lakes. Chicago and suburban backyards and parks will be especially heavily invaded!

There are three 17-year cicada species, each with their own shape, color, and “song”. They are Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada cassini and Magicicada septendecula. Only the first two will likely appear in the Midwest area in 2007, but they will amount to 1.5 MILLION or more Cicadas per acre – a big number and a very loud chorus!

A lot happened in 1990 when they went underground – Germany reunited after 43 years of separation, the Hubble Space Telescope was placed into Earth orbit, AOL and others began to offer Internet service subscriptions, and Iraq invaded Kuwait sending gas prices skyrocketing to $1.33 per gallon. Sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Now, what are they here for? Not too much, and not for very long. After the nymph emerges from the ground it climbs up and attaches itself to nearby vegetation, where it sheds its outer skin, spreads its wings and flies to the nearest tree. Then the mating song begins. Even with three different songs being sung, they know the song of their own species, get together and mate. The female deposits as many as 600 eggs in tree branch nests and then, in a short time, both male and female die. Seventeen years under ground sucking sap from tree roots and then at the end of their life this frenzy of activity takes place in just a few weeks.

So what do you wear for such a magical, Magicicada, once-in-a-lifetime experience? We’ve got the answer for you!

Here is a really great looking one-of-a-kind t-shirt that you can wear now and in the future to commemorate this incredible phenomenon! With these little "buggers" covering every surface in sight and singing their song all day long at an amazing 120 decibels, you sure won't be able to ignore them, so why not join them in your own Cicada Love Bug T-Shirt!!

This T-shirt is a best quality 50/50 cotton-polyester blend with vibrant color - especially those big red bug eyes! We will ship them to you quickly at just $15.00 ($17.00 for XX and XXX Sizes) plus shipping. Get one for everyone in the family!

Don't miss being a part of this 2007 version of a "beetle invasion". Remember they haven't been here since 1990, and after the new batch of nymphs from this year's mating go underground, they won't be back until 2024. You don't want to wait that long for our next Cicada Love Bug T-Shirt, do you?