Loud insects outside... any idea what they are? (Austin, Katy: live in, summer)

[JERiv]

About a week or two ago, some really (and I mean REALLY) loud insects starting going nuts outside. They seem to really go all out after sunset.

Any idea what they are, and what, if anything, can be done about it?

Thanks!!

[JERiv]

Oh, I live in the SW Austin area. No idea if that helps, but what the heck. Thanks!!

[llkltk]

Cicadas.

[kiacook]

Nothing to be done about it.

[love roses]

Cicadas I absolutely LOVE to listen to their night music...knocks me right out BTW, nothing can be done about it and they are all over the state.

[IC_deLight]

Cicadas would be a decent guess. Further south, they sing all day long.

There are a lot of different types of cicadas in the U.S. The following sound files are not necessarily for the cicadas around here, but you may note if the sound is similar enough to suggest it might be a cicada:
Scissor-grinder Cicada - SongsofInsects.com (http://www.musicofnature.com/songsofinsects/iframes/cicadas/popup_tibiprui.html - broken link)
see also:
Northern Florida cicadas


Katydids can be a bit noisy as well:
http://www.entnemdept.ufl.edu/walker/buzz/142sl3.wav (broken link)

[TexasHorseLady]

Cicadas. We moved to the country when our daughter was 12. She got used to them. When she moved out, some years later, she called and told me she couldn't sleep because there weren't any cicadas singing.

[Idlewile]

We had them in Georgia too, that's where I was first introduced to them....even though initially the sound is kind of bizarre, it does seem like signing when you get used to it.

[nickasarbata]

Have you guys ever actually seen a cicada? Listening to the sound bytes posted by IC_deLight reminded me of my childhood growing up in Iowa. I used to listen to that sound all evening, every evening, all summer long, and yes, it was LOUD. But seeing the picture posted in the first link, I realized I've never actually seen one of those noisy little guys! What about everyone else? Do you often see them, or just hear them? And how many of them does it take to make such a loud noise? I can't imagine just a few of them would be able to make so much noise every night, but since I've never seen even one, I don't know!

[JERiv]

Thanks everyone! It does sound pretty similar. I thought it might be cicadas, but I've never really seen any or heard them before, so wasn't sure.

In Puerto Rico (where I grew up), it's the same. What I remember the most while growing up is the sound of the coquis (tiny little frogs, HUGE vocals) at night. And I did get used to it.

I listen to the link below and do have to wonder how the heck I got used to it while growing up, though. :-)

Coqui Frogs--turn your sound on to hear the frogs