‘Hooting cicadas’: First case found during extreme heatwave in Costa Blanca’s Alicante

Cicada, relate to any of a group of sound-producing insects that have two pairs of membranous wings, prominent compound eyes, and three simple eyes.

Cicadas are medium to large in size, ranging from 2 to 5 cm (0.8 to 2 inches).

The technicians of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, which is responsible for the Environment in Spain, are now deeply concerned about having confirmed dozens of cases of hovering cicadas in the province of Alicante.

Experts attribute this loss of the ability to “sing” to the unusually high temperatures this summer, ViscAlacant confirmed on Friday, August 12.

“According to our initial studies, when it is so hot, these insects work exhausting days to the point that they stop making their characteristic sounds,” explains a member of Teresa Ribera’s (The Minister for the Ecological Transition of Spain) department.

The first cases were detected in the southern part of the province, where the thermometers are particularly harsh, but the phenomenon has been spreading to the northern regions.

“Now they are very boring animals because they perch in trees or in your window and let you take a nap, if you manage to fall asleep in a sweat,” adds the specialist.

The heatwave is affecting all animals, including those in the sea, where the carcasses of hundreds of mussels that looked like they had been steamed have already been seen on the shores of some beaches.