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.
Birds and wasps are the most common predators that kill cicadas. Cicadas only come above ground to molt or search for a mate. Many cicada species have a lifespan of between 13 and 17 years; however, the vast majority of their lifespan is usually spent underground, where they live as nymphs.