The iconic summer sound that’s notably absent this year

One of Melbourne’s most recognisable sounds of summer has been notably absent this year…

The cicadas have gone quiet.

Cicada expert from Melbourne University, Dr David Young, says an environmental factor is preventing larvae from hatching.

“It must be some environmental influence on the early stage of their life, on the larvae which live underground, so there’s some reason why they’re not coming up and hatching into adults,” he told Emily Power and Jimmy Bartel, filling in for Ross and Russel.

Dr Young says an absence of cicadas would usually be due to a very dry period, so it’s unusual to experience in a La Nina year.

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