Get ready for a cicada invasion

Just when you thought it was safe to enjoy the sunny, early spring weather, comes this news: The cicadas are coming.

Millions of the ugly, buzzy critters are expected to make their once-every-17-years appearance in Maryland starting in mid-May. They'll probably be with us until the end of June.

"This will be a big, crazy horde of loud insects," said Mike Raupp, a professor of entomology at the University of Maryland, College Park. "It will be an extravaganza."

And while they'll cause headaches for gardeners and may interrupt graduation picnics, cicadas don't bite or sting and won't wreak any major havoc.

"They'll...