WASHINGTON – It’s that time of year again when the weather is swampy and the cicadas are plentiful.

“It’s all about love for these guys right now,” says Mike Raupp, professor of entomology at the University of Maryland.

The chirping insects are perched in trees, attracting mates with their high-pitched songs, he says. Those songs can get up to 100 decibels, which is almost as loud as a jet airplane.

“When the temperatures warm, these songs become much more … noticeable,” Raupp says. “They start earlier in the day and go late into the evening.”

To learn more about cicadas, listen to Raupp’s interview with WTOP.

Follow WTOP on Twitter.

(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)