During the middle of last month, I traveled to southern Ohio to learn more about Magic Waters Summer Theatre, which has been conducted annually by Dave "Boonie" and Janny Brizius since 1982. The outdoor theater usually conducts four plays a year (see story on page 33 of this issue).

But upon arriving at the couple's wooded home just southwest of Bainbridge in Highland County, I was greeted by an unusual, high-pitched buzz coming from the trees all around me.

"Is that the cicadas?" I asked several of Dave and Janny's grandkids, who were gathered outside the home.

"Yes," was the reply, "and you should have heard them a week or so ago. They were much louder than this."

That was amazing to me, because they seemed plenty loud as it was. The nice thing is, Janny later told me, is that the boisterous bugs are loud all day, but get quiet just before the curtain opens for their plays. At least the noisy little buggers are at least somewhat courteous.

Surprisingly, while I live less than an hour northeast of Bainbridge, I hadn't noticed a peep from the cicadas this year. So I guess I should be thrilled that I got to experience it, because the singing of that many cicadas isn't something that can be heard every day, or even every year for that matter. Although some tree and shrub owners may just prefer they stay away entirely.

After 17 years of quiet, this particular brood of periodical cicadas emerged this year in several southwestern Ohio counties, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Forestry.

Noted for the distinctive, often annoying hum of their mating call, cicadas also can damage trees and ornamental shrubs in heavily infested areas.

"While cicadas are harmless to humans, the 1.5-inch winged insects can damage deciduous trees — primarily oak, apple, dogwood and hickory — as well as newly planted ornamentals," said David Lytle, chief of the ODNR Division of Forestry.

Three species of periodical cicadas (genus Magicicada) emerged in large numbers in Adams, Brown, Clermont, Hamilton, Highland, Lawrence, Ross and Scioto counties this spring. While smaller numbers appeared in Butler, Champaign, Clinton, Gallia, Greene, Jackson, Pike and Warren counties.

Cicadas from this "brood" — referred to as Brood XIV by entomologists —also emerged in parts of Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and West Virginia. This population of cicadas was last seen in 1991.

Although the "roar" associated with cicadas is produced by a chorus of mate-hunting males, it is the females that damage trees and shrubs. Each female emerges from the ground to lay hundreds of eggs in inch-long slits she cuts in pencil-sized tree branches. These slits can weaken young or otherwise susceptible trees, killing off the affected branches or leaving openings for disease.

ODNR foresters recommend homeowners in affected areas not prune trees in the spring. Instead, damaged twigs should be pruned later in the summer, after the cicada invasion has run its course.

"Though noisy and alarming to some in appearance, cicadas are harmless insects whose sole purpose in life in simply to mate and continue their species, although many become the next meal for a bird or other animals," said Barbara Bloetscher, an Ohio State University Extension entomologist.

"Cicadas are one of the more primitive insects whose existence can be traced back millions of years," Bloetscher said. "They may look scary, but they don't bite. In fact, they are actually kind of fun to handle."

Cicadas, often mistakenly called locusts, are true bugs, not grasshoppers. They lay eggs within the branch tips of trees, mainly those with soft wood. The young emerge six to 10 weeks later, drop to the ground and burrow around tree roots where they spend their development feeding on the tree's nutrients.

"People think that cicadas kill trees, which is not the case. They can potentially damage very young trees and can be of concern to nurseries, but on more mature trees the damage is only cosmetic," Bloetscher said. "It's sort of like nature's pruning."

Soil temperatures trigger the emergence of the cicada nymph, which then molts and spends 2 to 4 weeks finding a mate. Its efforts are characterized by its "song," — a loud repetitive sound created by blowing air through vents on its abdomen. Females seek out males with the louder, more vigorous songs.

"Females can lay large amounts of eggs, up to 400 at a time. The periodical cicadas emerge in such large numbers as a survival tactic," Bloetscher said. "They are a great protein source for birds and other animals, so the large populations are a confusion factor for animals. They simply can't keep up with all of them so the likelihood of survival is greater."

Periodical cicadas are categorized into broods depending on the year that they emerge, although occasionally they emerge a year earlier or later. In Ohio, the periodical cicada consists of three species, and emerges every 17 years. Southern states may experience an emergence after 13 years and contain many more species. The annual cicada is a different species that emerges annually, singing harmoniously during the "dog days of summer."

The largest populations of Brood XIV periodical cicadas emerged throughout southwestern Ohio by the beginning of June and lasted a few weeks. The next 17-year periodical cicada species won't emerge in Ohio for another eight years. Brood V is anticipated to emerge in 2016, and Brood VIII won't emerge until 2019.

So there you go, that's probably more than most people would care to know about the noisy little critters. But if you were in southwest Ohio last month and heard their song singing through the trees, at least now you know a little more about the chorus.

For more information on the cicada, log on to OSU Extension's Ohioline at ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2137.html or bugs.osu.edu/~bugdoc/PerioCicada/index.htm