The Illawarra's cacophony of cicadas may have quietened slightly after a few days of cooler weather, but that hasn't stopped residents from getting ear-splitting decibel readings near their homes.
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Using smart phone sound meters, dozens of Mercury readers sent in noise levels from Helensburgh to Albion Park Rail.
According to their readings, West Wollongong (115dB), Otford (108dB), Mount Keira (96dB) and Farmborough Heights (95.7dB) were among the loudest locations.
Plant scientist and cicada researcher Dr Nathan Emery, of the Australian Botanic Garden in Mount Annan, said it was known for the male cicada's mating call to get as loud as 120 decibels.
He said larger species that make this level of noise tended to prefer tall eucalyptus woodlands with a dense canopy cover, while smaller species were less picky and could set up in urban areas.
"Most will start to call in the morning, when temperatures start to rise above 20 to 21 degrees," he said.
"They also call at dusk, and that's to try and avoid the birds, but a lot of them will call through the day, at least to the point where it starts to get above 35 or 40 degrees.
"At this heat, they'll keep quiet because it speeds up their rate of attrition and they can't keep up the energy.
"They also usually keep quiet during a rainfall event."
With a spell of warm weather heading back to the region this weekend, the shrill invertebrates could be once again calling with a vengeance.
Thankfully, Dr Emery said the peak season was coming to an end.
However, thanks to a clever survival tactic, the noise won't be over for some time - in fact, cicada season could continue through to April or May in some parts of Sydney and the Illawarra.
“They employ a bet-hedging strategy, so individuals emerge over several months, just in case conditions decline,” Dr Emery said.