Hello!
Dan Mozgai
My name is Dan Mozgai, and Cicada Mania is my website.
Use this email address to contact me: cicadamania@gmail.com.
I usually have time to answer questions via email, and for the occasional phone call.
Also, if writing an article about 17-year cicadas, please use the correct species. Hint: if the cicada is green it is the wrong species.
Cicada Mania History
2013 will marks Cicada Mania’s 17th year on the web. Here’s what the site looked like back in 1998 two years after its launch.
Cicada Mania started as sort of an online wedding album for friends who were married in an outdoor ceremony in Westfield NJ during the 1996 Brood II emergence. Most of the pictures featured cicadas crawling around the wedding grounds. Eventually I added links to other cicadas sites and basic cicada information. Cicada Mania soon garnered a small but loyal fan base.
The 2004 Brood X emergence was a fantastic time for Cicada Mania: highlights included me appearing on CNN, NPR, and WABC radio, and seeing 50,000 site visitors in one day! Here is a transcript of my CNN appearance.
The 2007 Brood XIII emergence was fantastic as well. I finally got to meet fellow cicada enthusiasts and researchers Roy Troutman, Jerry Bunker, Gene Kritsky and Joe Green. I was also interviewed for Fuji TV.
Cicada Mania currently contains over 1000 photos of cicadas (many high-res), videos, sound clips, a blog, plenty of FAQs and articles, a message board and, of course, t-shirts and mugs, which are my attempt at funding the site.
Some articles that mention me or are about me:
- The 17-Year Itch. Wired. April, 2013.
- Midwest braces for cicadas’ song. USA Today, 5/17/2007
- Cicadas Respond to Their 17-Year Cue. The New York Times, May 19, 2004
- Q&A: Cicada Mania. The Star Ledger, October 12, 2007
- Cicadas nature’s current hot ticket. The Chicago Tribune, June 01, 2007
- Cicadas: Amazing, annoying, arriving soon “Big brood” emerging after 17 years. Philly.com, May 02, 2004
- ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES. Aired May 14, 2004
- Cicadas’ return signals a shrill summer season. The Toledo Blade, 4/26/2004
- Wedding Day Woes – A Bug’s Life. NPR May 8, 2004
Roy Troutman
Many of the cicada photos and videos on the site come from Roy Troutman. Visit the Roy Troutman page for links to his images and his contact information.