The awakening of the cicadas in Washington
Audio 02:34
Cicadas.
© RFI / Anne Corpet
By: Anne Corpet Follow
6 mins
The phenomenon only occurs every 17 years in the American federal capital: the arrival of cicadas.
These cicadas began to emerge by the billions in Washington.
They only live a few days, the time to mate and bury their eggs underground.
This rather noisy invasion arouses disgust or curiosity.
Publicity
From our correspondent in Washington,
Their song is deafening and uninterrupted from dawn until dusk.
Their exoskeletons, small yellow shells, litter the sidewalks of Washington, especially in the leafy suburban streets.
On the ground in the earth, a multitude of holes attest to the recent release of the larvae.
"
The best time to pick them up if you want to serve them as an aperitif,
" explains Mate Albert, an American of Laotian origin.
Maté Albert cooks the nymphs in a pan with a little butter and salt, before freezing them to serve them as an aperitif to his guests throughout the year.
© RFI / Anne Corpet
She cooks the nymphs in a pan with a little butter and salt, before freezing them to serve them as an aperitif to her guests throughout the year. “
You can make lots of things with it, mash, or even desserts if you cover them with chocolate,
” smiles Mate. With the help of her neighbors' children, Jasmine and Isaac, she has already frozen a kilo of cooked cicadas. “
I was a little disgusted at first, but now I find them funny,
” explains Jasmine. Her little brother is more timid:
"when a cicada hits me, I move in all directions to get rid of it
".
The
Washington Post
published several recipes in its Wednesday Cooking Supplement, but most residents of the federal capital are content to observe the insects with curiosity.
"There are fewer than 17 years ago,
" says Kevin, retiree, who remembers walls covered with insects.
This year, cicadas are content to nest on trees, where they breed before burying their eggs underground and dying.
"
The cicadas are very sensitive to temperature, and it has been cold in recent weeks, which is why the harvest is less abundant
", explains Mate Albert.
Once they have laid their eggs, the females bury them in the ground and die soon after.
They fly awkwardly, and land everywhere.
The CNN correspondent in Congress was thus surprised
directly
by a cicadas which had landed on the collar of his jacket.
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