But More Cicadas
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
The shrill chirrup of cicadas through the summer nights is an irritant to many citizens.
Twenty-five-year-old Yang Mi-kyung is struggling to go to sleep these days due to the chirping cicadas outside her house.
She lives on the second floor, where the windows are quite close to trees. "Somehow, I feel like their number is growing constantly. They are getting louder," she said. "Alongside mosquitoes, the cicadas have become the main irritation these days."
Foreign species of cicada, global warming and excessive lighting during the night are blamed as the main factors for the insect thriving.
According to the Rural Development Administration, the size of the areas in which cicadas reside has reportedly jumped more than 360 times in two years.
The number of the foreign cicadas has increased dramatically. This species chirps at 75-decibels louder than the 70-decibel ring of a mobile phone ring tone or a noisy motorway's 74 decibels.
"Especially at night, it is obvious that their noise irritates people," said Sohn Dong-won, a researcher at the Korea Forest Research Institute.
The government regulates noises of 40 decibels or above.
Climate change is also a factor. "Many cicada larvae die during winter because they are unable to survive the cold weather. However, global warming has enabled the insects to survive winter," said Lee Sang-kye, a researcher of the administration.
Generally, the accoustically-talented insect lives in temperate to tropical climates.
"Many broadleaf trees are being planted along apartment complexes. These trees are a good home for the insects," he added.
Kim Jin-tae, spokesman for the Jeonbuk Federation for Environmental Movement, said that it's actually people that have made the insects louder at night.
"Cicadas are chirping to find their mates. However, the city is too loud for them to send their signals. Therefore, they are getting louder to get their messages across," he said. "Excessive lighting at night causes them to chirp too."