The male cicada's mating call is as romantic as an AC/DC concert. It's more a slap in the face than sweet serenade. This summer's bumper crop is so overwhelming some National Parks rangers have taken to wearing earplugs.

The insect's racket - as lovely as hugging a jackhammer or jet engine - turns the head of friend and foe alike. The louder it bellows, the more potential partners and predators it attracts.

Sophisticated system: Cicadas have come out en masse this year, as seen by the number of insects and empty shells on this tree in Church Point. Credit:Nick Moir

''It's a pretty risky business sitting up in a tree calling for a mate,'' says Australian Museum entomologist Dave Britton.

Cicadas are the suicidal lovers of the insect world, risking death for several weeks of singing and sex. ''It's a compromise: like a lot of sexual behaviour in animals, the males perform dangerous behaviour to advertise they are strong and virile and represent the best chance of producing lots of children,'' Dr Britton says.