Dear PoPville – What will the 17 year Cicadas Cycle be like in DC?

Photo by PoPville johnmcochran2012

Dear PoPville,

I am hoping for some information and advice from people who have been in DC for a while.

I’m having a wedding party at the end of May and as I’m not originally from the US we have many people coming from afar (NZ, UK) to attend. A couple of days ago we found out that our party coincides with the emergence of the 17 year cicada cycle!

I’m not too worried about the actual day-we’ll make some changes and have fun. But what I was wanting information on – is how bad is it to be in Washington DC during this time? Can people still visit the Mall and other tourist attractions and have a good time or do I need to advise our visitors to avoid Washington. I’ve looked on the net but haven’t found many first-hand stories from the DC area and I would really appreciate some input from the Popville community. Many thanks.

You should be fine! NPR reports:

If you’ve never experience a cicadapocalypse, expect to see an increased number of large, winged creatures in the eastern part of the country. Cicadas can grow up to 1 1/2 inches and have these creepy, red eyes on either side of their heads, but that’s all they’ve got going for them. Though they look scary, cicadas couldn’t hurt a fly (unless they sat on it, maybe). They don’t bite, sting, raid crops or infest homes.

Anyone ever experience one of these cicada cycles?