Cicada Cam Lets You Watch Brood II Live
Missing this year's much-hyped emergence of the East Coast's Brood II cicadas? You can watch the 17-year-old insects live thanks to the Science Channel's cicada cam.
The six-legged creatures crawl all over a miniature model of Washington's Capitol building in a tiny set befitting Brood II's horror-movie name.
If the footage makes your skin crawl and you're wondering what all the fuss is about, know that Brood II is one of the distinct cicada populations that only comes out of the ground to molt and mate every 17 years; you won't be seeing this type again until 2030. Known as periodical cicadas, they belong to the genus Magicicada, and they can be found only in the eastern half of North America. Brood II's range extends from Georgia to Connecticut and it began its emergence earlier this month.
Follow Megan Gannon on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+.
Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now
Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.