Cloudy with a chance of cicada pee? Unfortunately, that is the forecast for several states this summer.
Cicada season is just around the corner in a number of U.S. states, meaning millions of people will soon be hearing the deafening buzz of the insect's mating call. But scientists say the cicadas may also soon be peeing on people.
According to new research published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the bugs drink 300 times their weight in plant sap every day, so when it's time for them to go, they really go – at a speed of 10 feet per second. In fact, experts say cicadas have the "strongest urine jet stream" of any animal relative to its size.
If you happen to catch a sprinkle, the good news is cicadas don't carry diseases and their urine is "generally harmless," according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Scientists say the realization that cicadas urinate in a jet stream rather than in droplets, like most other bugs, unlocks a new understanding of fluid dynamics at small scales — highlighting potential applications in robotics, 3D printing, drug delivery and additive manufacturing.
Since cicadas are the smallest animal to create high-speed jets, they can potentially inform applications in making jets in tiny robots and nozzles, according to Georgia Tech researchers who worked on the study.
"Biology and the diversity across forms of life have the potential to drive advances in fields from healthcare to manufacturing and other key industries," Miriam Ashley-Ross, program director at the U.S. National Science Foundation, said in a statement. "This work shows that even the way in which organisms get rid of waste can provide new insights into fluid dynamics that spur innovation in soft robotics and ways to handle fluid at small scales in all manner of manufacturing."
Two broods of cicadas are expected to emerge at the same time this spring, bringing 1 trillion of the insects to 19 states in what's described as a once-in-a-lifetime event.
These aren't the typical cicadas that come every year. They're periodical cicadas that have been hiding underground for more than a decade. The broods, one on a 13-year cycle and another on a 17-year cycle, are both set to hatch this year -- an incredibly rare event that only happens once every 221 years.
The cicadas will simultaneously surface across several Midwestern and southern states, but most heavily in Illinois and Missouri, according to reports.
Brood XIX, which last appeared in 2011, is expected to emerge in 14 states:
Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Brood XIII, which last appeared in 2007, is expected to emerge in Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and possibly Michigan.
The insects will begin to appear in mid-May through late June, once the soil reaches a temperature of around 64 degrees Fahrenheit, and will be mostly gone by July 1.