Cicadas overrun White House press flight, briefly delaying European travel

ROCKVILLE, Md. (NewsNation Now) — President Joe Biden may have been in the most secure air space in the world, but one pesky cicada invader managed to break secret service lines.

Biden was accosted by one of the every-17-year-nuisances plaguing Washington, D.C., and numerous other parts of the country.

“Watch out for the cicadas. I just got one…it got me,” Biden joked to reporters.

Large swaths of them are making their presence known along the east coast and Midwest.

The swarm didn’t just have its eyes on the commander in chief, the White House press corps plane traveling with the president was delayed for several hours Tuesday night due to — you guessed it: Cicada-related mechanical issues.

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It prompted some white house reporters to clarify that it was in fact not a joke. Neither are the bugs. What they lack in charm, they make up in sheer numbers.

Dr. Kenneth Eck of Purdue University says that incredibly loud noise is millions of male cicada’s mating calls. The louder the call, the better the chance of attracting a female.

But it’s not a welcome sound for everyone.

“It sucks. I absolutely hate working outside now,” said Meklit Bekele.

But some are finding inspiration in the insects.

Sarah Dwyer, owner of Chouquette Chocolate in Gaithersburg, Maryland, is turning them into sweet profit.

“I had someone who came and said will you cover something with chocolate on a cicada? And I said ‘Sure why not,’” remarked Dwyer.