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CICADA SEASONHeres a program from our archives.music; ambience: cicadasThe weather's getting warmer, the humidity's rising, and insects are making their presences known. Well, to commemorate this event, we're going to offer a week of programs in honor of our six-legged friends. Today we're going to hear from a world famous group of singing arthropods, and no it's not the Beatles. I'm Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet.Josephson: Cicadas are insects, more commonly heard than seen, found throughout the world. They emerge typically in June, and by mid-July they're gone. Bob Josephson is an entomologist with the University of California in Irvine.Josephson: It's the males that produce sounds, and the males sit in a convenient place, often in large groups, producing sounds which attract the females. Some cicadas sing continuously, some sing in short pauses. The songs tend to be rather loud. They're among the loudest of insect songs, certainly."Those singing males are looking for mates, and they're probably pretty anxious to get on with it. They've been waiting several years to breed, and the next few weeks are the only chance they'll get.Josephson: One of the interesting things about cicadas is that most of their life is spent underground. They mate, they lay eggs, and the eggs drop to the soil. And the young burrow into the soil, and spend anywhere from a few years to as long as seventeen years sucking juices from plant roots. And then, they emerge as adults, and their period of life above ground is short, usually only a few weeks, during which time they mate and lay eggs, and the cycle starts again.So if the whine of the cicadas is bugging to you this month, just remember that, to some extent, you're experiencing insect history. And a song that's heard, literally, around the world. I'm Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet.