If you’ve recently moved to Almería, or you’re on holiday in the area, there’s a good chance you’ve heard a deafening buzzing noise coming from the trees and wondered what on earth is making it.
Welcome to the world of the cigarra or the cicada, one of the defining sounds of summer in southern Spain. For many newcomers to Almería, the first encounter with cicadas is memorable.
You step outside on a hot afternoon expecting peace and quiet, only to be greeted by what sounds like a thousand tiny power tools running in the trees.
The noise can be so loud that many visitors initially assume there must be machinery nearby, somebody is using a strimmer, there is an electrical fault somewhere or the neighbours have started an industrial project. In reality, it’s just a few insects singing the song of their people.
What Exactly Are Cicadas?
Cicadas are large flying insects that spend most of their lives underground as nymphs, feeding on sap from plant roots.
After several years underground, they emerge, climb a tree, shed their outer skin and become adults.
The adult insects are typically 2–5 cm long, brown, black or greenish. They are equipped with large transparent wings and extremely good camouflage.
You will usually hear them long before you see them.
Why Are They So Noisy?
Only male cicadas make the famous buzzing sound.
They possess specialised structures called tymbals, which rapidly flex in and out to create their call.
The purpose is simple: they’re trying to attract females.
Unfortunately for everyone else, they do this at astonishing volume.
A group of cicadas in a tree can produce sound levels approaching those of a lawnmower.
Why Are There So Many in Almería?
The climate around Almería is almost ideal for cicadas with long, hot summers, low rainfall, dry soils and olive and almond trees.
Inland areas around Huércal-Overa, Arboleas and the surrounding countryside provide perfect habitat.
The hotter the day becomes, the louder they often seem.
Many residents joke that the cicadas are nature’s way of announcing that temperatures have become ridiculous.
Harmless but Impossible to Ignore
The good news is that cicadas are completely harmless.
They don’t sting, bite or damage homes. They can be clumsy fliers though and you may experience a few head on collisions with your forehead as they navigate around from tree to tree.
Will They Drive You Mad?
Possibly.
Many expats report spending their first summer asking: “How can something that small be that loud?!”
By the second summer, most people stop noticing them.
By the third summer, many find the sound oddly comforting and start associating it with home.
Love them or hate them, cicadas are one of the defining features and summer sound track of life in Almería.
