The outer shell of the nymph splits along the middle of the back, and the winged adult laboriously emerges in about an hour. Each adult may live for 5 or 6 weeks. During that time the males and females mate and the females lay the eggs that are the start of the next generation. Eggs are laid into the small twigs of trees and shrubs. The eggs hatch after 6 to 7 weeks and the newly hatched nymphs fall to the ground, burrow until they find a suitable tree root, and begin the feeding and waiting that will last until the year 2014.
Periodical cicadas are well-known for the incredible noise they make when they emerge.
With populations that can reach up to a million and a half cicadas per acre, the sound can be as deafening as it is incessant. The cicada males sing by vibrating two shell-like drums located along the sides of the abdomen. Strong muscles vibrate the drum membranes several times per second. The resulting high-pitched, rapid clicks are resonated through air sacs and other structures to control sound volume and quality. The upward angles of the wings form a megaphone-like chamber that further controls the sound.