This process is called sublimation. The opposite (deposition) is where a gas turns directly into a solid. Sublimation occurs if the pressure and temperature are right for the specific substance, so that the solid phase in a phase diagram borders the gas phase.
Most cicadas go through a life cycle that lasts from two to five years. Some species have much longer life cycles, such as the North American genus, Magicicada, which has a number of distinct broods that go through either a 17-year or, in some parts of the world, a 13-year life cycle.
Cicada nymphs live underground where they feed on sap from the roots of trees, grasses, and woody plants. Not much is known about how long cicada nymphs stay undergroundâsome species have two-year life cycles, but others have life cycles of 10 or more years.