A Brood X cicada that failed to shed its nymphal skin
(Picture: AP)Billions of cicadas have swarmed parts of the United States after spending up to 17 years underground.
The insects typically remain hidden and spend almost all their lives a foot or two underground, living on sap from tree roots.
But in the spring of their 13th or 17th year, they emerge in huge numbers.
The cicadas, which are part of Brood X group, have appeared in several eastern and midwest US, and are causing havoc.
Reporters flying from Washington DC to the UK for Joe Biden’s G7 summit trip were delayed after cicadas were found in their plane.
Delta Air Lines said in a statement that the flight has been put back because of the “presence of periodical cicadas” in the small turbine engine.
The airline was able to send a replacement plane and crew to operate the flight, which left after 3:30 a.m on Wednesday.
On Monday a cicada flew through the open window of a car in Cincinnati causing the driver to crash into a pole.
Although many Americans are alarmed by swarms of cicadas, scientists have said the insects are not a cause for concern.
