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.
Periodical cicadas emerge from underground every 13 or 17 years, depending upon which brood the cicadas belong to. The year a particular brood emerges often differs from other broods and is also dependent on geography. The periodical cicada, although unrelated, is often mistakenly called a locust.