Peculiar fungus turns invading cicadas horny and high

A lot has been written about the impending emergence of the Brood X cicadas, but did you know that many of them will have a turbo charged sex drive and will be high, as well? Those interesting aspects of the invasion were detailed in a story on NJ.com.

One of the factors in the peculiar behavior of the cicadas is the appearance of a fungus, Massospora cicadina, that has infected some of the insects and it has several effects on them.

The first thing it does is it gets them high; the fungus has some of the same properties as magic mushrooms and amphetamines. The second thing it does it makes their butts, including their genitals, to fall off. Even though that means the males no longer have any reproductive organs, they don’t realize that and continue to try to couple with females in their drug-induced frenzy. The fungus releases an amphetamine into their system, causing the insects to go wild and hyper-charging their sex drive.

Now, before you start worrying about the damage done to the brood by the fungus, you should know that, according to NJ.com, the fungus only afflicts between 5 and 10% of the population, meaning there are still plenty of cicadas with their genitals intact to mate. While the 17 year periodical cicadas are just starting to emerge in New Jersey, they have been reported in Ohio and Tennessee. They are expected to emerge any day now, though, and some of them will be really high and really horny.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle. Any opinions expressed are Bill Doyle's own.