Around mid-May, Brood X cicadas are due to reemerge in Georgia following a 17-year stint underground. But they won’t be the only creatures making an appearance.
According to the blog Back Roads Living, copperhead snakes will appear too.
“Snakes, especially Copperheads love these new, emerging Cicada(s) as they are easy and tender prey! The snakes normally come out at night and feast on them. There have been reports in the past of several snakes being seen in yards at one time seeking this food source for them,” the blog said.
The Brood X cicadas will not be in metro Atlanta. They’ll be gathered in a few North Georgia counties. Residents who live there should be on the lookout for copperheads at nighttime, as they become nocturnal in the approaching summer season, according to LiveScience. In particular, they’ll be out on warm, humid nights after it rains, which is something they enjoy.
In 2016, when the Brood V cicadas emerged, Texas snake expert Kristofer Swanson told KHOU he believed the increase in the copperheads, also called penny snakes, occurred because they were seeking the cicada larvae that come out of the soil between 9 p.m. and midnight.
His advice?
“This time of the year, when you hear Cicadas, make sure you’re wearing shoes at night and walk around with a flashlight,” he said.
As for any potential danger that copperheads can pose to humans, they are the snakes responsible for the most bites in the Southeast annually. However, the good news is that they have generally mild venom and it’s usually not deadly, according to LiveScience.
If you do get bitten by a copperhead, the populations of which are often found in suburban neighborhoods with forested areas, you should head to the hospital by calling 911. You should also immediately call poison control, Dr. Gaylord Lopez of the Georgia Poison Center previously told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
About the Author
