Cicadas are causing a buzz in many parts of the country right now, and in South Carolina, their loud mating calls are now prompting numerous 911 calls from residents mistaking the noise for sirens or other disturbances. The buzzing insects, emerging in droves due to a rare synchronized phenomenon, can reach up to 100 decibels, that’s about equal to a subway train. Despite their nuisance, scientists assure that cicadas pose no threat. Scientists monitoring them though, have been wearing ear muffs to protect their hearing. With trillions emerging in the eastern U.S. this month, residents are advised to embrace the cacophony as part of the cicadas’ once-in-a-generation mating ritual.