ARe there going to be POS cicaidas there?

My buds bro was driving up from vanderbuilt to PA this wweekend. He sad them shitty bugs were horrible along Tenesee. Are they going to be there to ruin the gap trip for us???????????

I have never had any insect or bugs ruin a mtn trip for me in the NC -Tn area , out of about 15 trips to that area . :dunno

Originally posted by BKR1 I have never had any insect or bugs ruin a mtn trip for me in the NC -Tn area , out of about 15 trips to that area . :dunno These little F%^&ers only come out like once every 17 years and they are out in parts tennesee this year. They are big, and come by the billions. it is unfreaking believable what it looks like when these ugly little bastards come out. swarms and swarms, makes bike riding dificult and messy.

We were up there in april and didnt see any , I hope they arent around in June , that doesnt sound like fun riding !

Originally posted by Jeff These little F%^&ers only come out like once every 17 years and they are out in parts tennesee this year. They are big, and come by the billions. it is unfreaking believable what it looks like when these ugly little bastards come out. swarms and swarms, makes bike riding dificult and messy. These lil shiots made the news up here a few days back. Like you said, they come out from underground every 17 years, to lay their eggs, then they head back underground. They don't bite or sting, but are HUGE.....your right, if you ride through a swarm of them it's gonna be messy:ugh

oh well, gotta use plexus on every stop. Yes, they can be bad, up to 1.5 million per acre. There are different "broods" that come out every so often... This year is brood x, and happens to be the 17 year brood that is the worst of them all. Here is the area that will be affected http://www.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/magicicada/Periodical/maps/BX.JPG They have already begun to emerge, and will be around for 6 weeks or so. So yes, they will be around for the convention. They feed on trees and stuff, so staying at Fontana wont help any :lol It might get messy, we'll just have see

Very interesting ! Could make the ride even more challanging !:ugh

man we had em a couple years ago here, and like Jeff, said they really make riding no fun, it's hard to believe how much guts fit into those little bastids.

ill make sure i keep my visor closed... n i thought the small ones were bad enough:cool:

Like BK said I have never had problems up there with bugs. But it sounds like the cicadas may be up there. Hopefully they won't cause too much problems. We will just have to see. And like Kneedragger77 said, carry plenty of Plexus.

Those little f'ers are every where around here. You can hardly have a conversation outside without yelling becuase they are so loud. I probably have 40 or 50 of them climbing and humping on my bike as we speak.

I ran into a swarm of those Mothers day. thought they were going to knock me off the bike. That even hurt with leathers on. Oh, I was on the interstate. The last one's I saw were different than that. That looks like what we call a jar fly and we see them every year here. The cicada's I have seen were a bit smaller, black with a bright orange trim on their wings.

This is disturbing. They will be sitting on the roads waiting to get hit, smashing into our visors, making that crazy noise, landing on our backs, oh man this sucks, but I think there are do to come out inn June so we may just miss them which would be great.:dunno

they are already out here, the first wave came out about two weeks ago. Then this past weekend they big wave has started coming out. My understanding is they come out in two waves, the first wave basically gets killed off by preditors, then once those preditors are full (a week or two later) the main wave comes out. Here is Northern Virginia they have quoted a number of about 1.0 to 1.5 million per acre. Now there are 13 year and 17 year cicadas and there emergence pattern varies, so some areas will not see them this year.

Their population should increase until mid to late June when they begin to die off

They're all over in N. Va !! I went to a motorcycle accident on saturday some SQUID on a HyaBUSa got hit by one.. Of course no jacket ,shorts sneakers you know, however he had a cool helmet (preaccident). The bug hit in the chest latched on and slowly climbed up into his helmet onto his face.. The Squid freaked went bitch dumped his bike on the curb.. All he ended up woth was a broken arm bike was ok scratchs.. They hurt with leathers on so beware , good for fishing though..

Usually if something is bad enough to be a problem at the GAp and surronding areas they post about on the www.tailofthedragon.com. I checked there and it does not say anything about them there so maybe it is not a problem.

At the R6 ride last weekend, I rode to Andrews to eat at dusk. The bugs were all over the place. During the day, there were no problem at the Gap or the Skyway. Kevin info@mrcycles.com

that's good news

Hey MikeV and Rick, where in northern va are you all? I am in Manassas, and I have not seen one cicada here...I was out in tysons last week and I saw a whole bunch of dead ones on the sidewalk. I think it's because I live in a fairly new development.. ::shrugs::

Originally posted by AnonymousR1 Hey MikeV and Rick, where in northern va are you all? I am in Manassas, and I have not seen one cicada here...I was out in tysons last week and I saw a whole bunch of dead ones on the sidewalk. I think it's because I live in a fairly new development.. ::shrugs:: Near George Mason. They live something like 12" to 18" underground, so if you live in a development that was built within the last 17 years you might not see them (i am guessing).

some fellas from cycleforums went to the Gap May 22 and 23 and didnt mention a word about them !:)

Originally posted by BKR1 some fellas from cycleforums went to the Gap May 22 and 23 and didnt mention a word about them !:) Yeah, I don't think it will be a problem.

Originally posted by gawarrior Yeah, I don't think it will be a problem. Me neither. Kevin info@mrcycles.com

just read today that this particular brood of cicada (brood X) emerges mostly in flat areas, so you guys heading to the moutains should see very few of them.

I work in fairfax there all over the place! there supposed to show up in different areas at different times I think (not sure how they planned there invasion).. Theres none in Stafford yet either but like you my neighbor hood is new , however i had some last year.. By the way in Sept for any of you Va fellas or gals were going to VIR for races if interested let me know maybe we could hook up!!