The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Cicadas

If you visit the Hajar mountains from spring to the end of summer you will find the air filled with incessant calls.

The greatest noise maker of our region is the Arabian cicada.

When leaving a perch its wing beats produce a single buzz, giving a clue that it is taking flight.

When quiet, it is nearly impossible to notice because its colour pattern merges with the background colour and patterns of the bark on which it spends its life.

Cicadas are well kno-wn for their species-specific acoustic signals or ‘songs', which the males make by vibrating special organs called tymbals located on the sides of the first abdominal segment. This song is to attract the females.

Females lack tymbals, so cannot produce the sound.

A male will mate several times with a number of females, but each female will mate only once. Soon after mating the males die, while the females thrive for a few weeks.

Mated females will cl-imb or fly up to a branch, drill many holes and lay up to a dozen eggs in each hole. Each may lay up to several hundred eggs before dying.

Cicadas are harmless to people but can damage orchards if large numbers emerge in one area.