Cicada Invasion

THEN or THAN?

Then means “next” or “at that time.” Emma ate lunch, then she read a book.

Use than to make a comparison. Today is a lot warmer than yesterday. It’s more than 15 degrees hotter.

For 17 years, they lurked underground, slurping tree sap and tunneling through the darkness on their skinny legs. But this spring, these strange creatures are digging their way out of the earth. They are emerging not by the hundreds or thousands or millions, but by the trillions. 

These creatures are insects called cicadas [si-KAY-duhs]. They are emerging in 15 states in the Midwest and Eastern U.S. In some places, there may be more then/than 1.5 million cicadas per acre. (An acre is a bit smaller then/than a football field.) 

There are thousands of cicada species. Most spend two to five years buried in the earth and emerge in fairly small numbers. So you can see what makes the 17-year cicadas emerging this spring— which scientists refer to as Brood X—so unique. 

The members of Brood X will, like all cicadas, be pale and wingless when they come out of the ground. They will then/than climb into trees, shed their exoskeletons, and grow into their adult form: black and orange beauties with ruby-red eyes and clear wings. Then/Than they’ll be ready to make some noise!

Cicadas make a shrieking, buzzing sound—something like an electric saw. Why? To attract mates and express alarm. 

A swarm of buzzing cicadas can be louder then/than a jet engine. Don’t worry, though. After a few weeks of mating and laying eggs, Brood X will die and all will be quiet . . . until 2038. Then/Than a new brood of 17-year cicadas will take over.