Some bug enthusiasts still awaiting Brood X cicadas on Long Island
BOHEMIA, Long Island (WABC) -- Despite the hoopla surrounding the Brood X cicadas this year, some on Long Island are a bit disappointed that so far on the island it's been largely just crickets, so to speak.
Experts say they are on Long Island, but you have to know where to find them.
The sunlit edge of Connetquot River State Park in Bohemia is lined with endless trees and endless possibilities -- that is, if you're searching for cicadas.
Dr. Elias Bonaros, a cardiologist on Long Island, happens to be a walking encyclopedia on the insects.
He is certain the cicadas have not left Long Island completely.
"100%, there's very few times you can be 100% certain, but the evidence speaks for itself," Bonaros said.
It was in Bohemia last week that the doctor took photos showing the infamous, iridescent wings of the Brood X whose 17-year cycle is already creating quite the buzz in at least 15 other states, including New Jersey.
The doctor has been obsessed with the bugs since he was a child and then again when he was 14 and they re-emerged in full force.
"I went out in 1987, but unfortunately I didn't know the timing cycle too well, and I went in July, and they were all gone," he said.
Anyone who lived in the area at that time will tell you the noise of the cicadas was piercingly loud. Then 17 years later, in 2004, it had almost faded away completely.
"There's been a lot of development, when you pave over a surface, you kill all the nymphs underneath," Bonaros said.
And so cicada lovers like Dr. Bonaros will watch and then wait until 2038, because when it comes to cicadas, only time will tell.
ALSO READ | Video shows Brood X cicadas taking over tree in Pennsylvania park
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