It’s mid-morning in downtown Versailles and cicadas are tuning up for their afternoon and evening shows. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the mating call of cicadas can be loud enough to cause hearing loss within15 minutes of continual exposure. Mike Bentley of Barnes Heating and Air in Midway does much of his work outdoors, in the company of cicadas.
“You just hear them, dih dih dih dih, just everywhere.”
“Have you gotten to the point where you feel like you need ear plugs?”
“Yes, absolutely, absolutely. I mean, I'm sleeping at night, I'm dreaming of them. Dih dih dih dih.”
Tim Cox works for the Versailles Streets Department and nearly all his work takes place outside.
“They get rather loud and when they're a lot of them together, but in a closed area, they're not too bad, but for me, they've just been really attracted to my shirt. The noise gets annoying then, for sure, but I usually try to wear earbuds to prevent the noise, to help out with that situation.”
As Cox speaks, one has landed on him. They can’t bite or spread diseases, and he gently brushes it away.
Experts say people with tinnitus and other hearing problems are especially at risk from the red-eyed crooners and should limit their exposure to them.
