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The most interesting 17 year cicada facts

These are the 17 most interesting 17-year cicada facts (IMHO). All these facts apply to 13-year cicadas as well.

#1. Names for cicadas

People call these cicadas “locusts” but they are not true locusts — real locusts look like grasshoppers. The phrase “17-year cicada” indicates that they arrive every 17 years. The name “periodical cicadas” indicates that they arrive periodically and not each and every year. The scientific name for the Genus of these cicadas is Magicicada, and there are 3 types of 17 year Magicicadas: Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada cassini and Magicicada septendecula.

This is a true locust:
Locust

#2. There are 13-year cicadas too

There are 13-year cicadas too! There are four species of 13-year cicadas: Magicicada tredecim, Magicicada neotredecim, Magicicada tredecassini, and Magicicada tredecula. Broods XIX, XXII and XXIII feature these cicadas.

Here’s a video that will help you identify the various species.

#3. Many Eye Colors

Most 17-Year Cicadas have red eyes, but they can also have white, gray, blue , or multi-colored eyes.

Yellow-White Eyed Male Magicicada septendecim Metuchen NJ

#4. Fungus

The Massospora cicadina fungus infects Magicicadas, destroying their abdomen and ability to reproduce. Often, their entire abdomen will fall off. The cicadas spread the fungus throughout their local colony via mating. The Massospora fungus is a cicada STD!

Male Magicicada septendecim infected with Massospora cicadina fungus

#5. They will land on you if you are using a power tool or lawn mower

Cicadas think the sounds made by power tools and lawn maintenance equipment are made by cicadas. They get confused and will land on the people using the equipment! Pro-tip: cut your lawn in the early morning or near dusk when the cicadas are less active.

guy with cicadas

#6. Cicadas have five eyes

Cicadas have two, obvious, large, compound eyes, and three ocelli. Ocelli are three jewel-like eyes situated between the two main, compound eyes of a cicada. We believe ocelli are used to detect light and darkness. Ocelli means little eyes in Latin.

5 Eyes

#7. People eat them

People eat them. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sauté it. There, uh, cicada kabobs, cicada creole, cicada gumbo, panfried, deep fried, stir fried. There’s pineapple cicada, lemon cicada, coconut cicada, pepper cicada, cicada soup, cicada stew, cicada salad, cicada and potatoes, cicada burger, cicada pizza, cicada sandwich… that’s, that’s about it.

Cicada Ice Cream

#8. Animals eat them

All wild animals and domestic pets will eat them. Dogs will gorge themselves until they choke. Squirrels will eat them like corn on the cob. Wild turkeys will grow fat and juicy on the cicada feast. Fish go crazy for them too — you can use them as bait, or use lures that mimic them.

#9. Cicadas “eat” tree fluids

Cicadas don’t eat solid foods like leaves or fruits. Instead they use their slender, straw-like mouth parts to drink tree fluids.

#10. Cicadas pee

Yes cicadas pee, so wear a hat when walking under trees if that sort of thing bothers you. Cicadas drink tree fluids and then expel the excess fluid they do now need. People call it “honeydew” or “cicada rain”.

#11. How cicadas make their sound

Only male cicadas make the loud sound they are famous for. Males have organs on their abdomen called tymbals. Muscles pop the tymbals in and out, which creates the sound we hear. Males make different calls for different reasons, and each species has a unique sound. Females can make sound too: they flick their wings to respond to males.

tymbals

#12. There are billions of them

There are literally billions, if not trillions, of 17-year cicadas. Why? One theory suggests that a large number of cicadas overwhelms predators, so predators are never able to eat them all and cicadas, and many always survive to mate. This is a survival strategy called “predator satiation”.

#13. They damage wimpy trees

The biggest concern about 17-year cicadas is their potential to damage young trees. The truth is they will damage limbs on the wimpiest of trees, so if you have weak, pathetic, wimpy ornamental trees in your yard you should consider placing netting around the trees if the cicadas visit your yard. Also, you can try hosing them off with water, placing insect barrier tape around the trunk of the trees, or picking them off like grapes! Or, plant strong, beefy American trees — that’s what I would do. Cicadas actually benefit the health of trees by aerating the soil around the roots and trimming the weak or damaged limbs.

#14. Stragglers

Periodical cicadas that emerge in years before they are supposed to emerge are called stragglers.

hipster cicada

#15. 17 and 13 are prime numbers

Scientist speculate that one reason why these cicadas emerge in 17 or 13 year cycles is because those are prime numbers. The fact that 13 & 17 are relatively large* prime numbers makes it difficult for predators to synchronize with them. (*Relative to the average lifespan of an animal.) Annual cicadas (cicadas that arrive every year) often have wasps specialized to prey on them; periodical cicadas have no such wasp because no wasp could evolve to synch with it.

#16. They use their color to warm up

Cicadas need to be warm to sing and fly around. Their dark skin absorbs the heat of the sun, which helps to warm them up.

#17. 17-year and 13-year broods co-emerge every 221 years

Cicada Broods usually don’t overlap geographically, and it is very rare when they emerge in the same year. In 2024, Brood XIX and Brood XIII are both emerging.

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If you have 18 minutes to spare, watch the video version of this article.

290 replies on “The most interesting 17 year cicada facts”

First “pre-emergence” I’ve noticed this year (that I have not noticed in previous Brood X events): Starting around May 5, 2021 here in the Northern KY/Cincinnati area, I began to see hemispherically shaped dirt “clods” sticking out of the ground. Peeling off the dirt mound, it contained a circularly shaped hole, and at the ground level was a perfectly round 1/2″ hole, that went down and out of sight.

The cicada didn’t start emerging until around May 25, 2021 in this area.

My “guess” was that the early “shells” were digging up from their 17 year low level in the ground, then up to the surface where the dirt dug out formed that hemisphere of dirt above the ground. Again, I’ve experienced the 17 year cicada in 2004, 1987, and 1973, and NEVER have I seen these “pre-emergent” dirt clods which seem to be the early “digging” and getting ready to completely emerge.

If anyone has seen those dirt clods this year, or noticed them this year, or in past years, leave a reply. This is my fourth time of my consciousness (2021, 2004, 1987, 1973). I was alive in 1956, but just “knee high to a coke-bottle,” so I wouldn’t have known them “way back when.” (grin) But this is the first time I have notice these hemispherical dirt clods coming out roughly three-four weeks before the cicada started completely emerging, and was just curious if others had the experience.

Volume levels: Volume is measured in “decibels.” Decibels are measured linearly.. A “doubling” of volume occurs with a 3db rise. 12db is twice as loud as 9db, which is twice as loud as 6db..

Standard Historic Sound Levels:

20 ‚ Leaves rustling
30 ‚ Whisper
50 ‚ Moderate rainfall
60 ‚ Normal conversation
70 Vacuum cleaner
80 Alarm Clock

Over 85db for extended periods can cause permanent hearing loss.

90 Lawnmower

Over 90db is dangerous over 30 minutes

100 Snowmobile
110 Car horn

Over 110db is dangerous over 30 seconds.

110 Car horn
120 Jet engine

Painful and Dangerous – Use hearing protection or avoid

130 Jackhammer
140 Fireworks/gun shots

[>——————————————————–>]

I’m a professional musician, and one of my “toys” at my studio is a decibel meter. I’ve been hearing the “Brood X” (17 year cicada) since 1973, when I was a teenager and worked outdoor as a gardener.

Back then, as typical teens, we would wait for the cicada to emerge from their shells, and while still completely white in color, we would use a golf “iron” club and “hit” them out into the yard.

Starting at the most previous Brood X cycle in 2004, I would go outside with my decibel meter and get a reading for the cicadas, once they were in full voice!

The reading at their most vociferous was 84db in our neighborhood (Northern KY/Cincinnati) in 2004.

I’ll be waiting to get a FULL reading once they have been out for a couple of weeks. They have just started emerging, and there aren’t a big group together as of yet. The largest local group right now is 2-3 yards away from me (roughly 100′ – 150′), and the sound is mostly lower throng, similar to a bass-baritone voice, and the current level is roughly 45db.

Cicada in my own yard and nearby have a more treble (high pitched) sound roughly 50db at this point.

I’ll “report in” in a couple of weeks when they are more fully emerged into the neighborhood!

Geographical report:

I’m in the Northern KY/Greater Cincinnati area. We have had the emergence of the hemispherical mud “rounds” that started to emerge around and after early May in this area. Hundreds of the mud “rounds” but no cicada emerged until three weeks later at the end of May. Now they are emerging and flying about regularly. They start around 8am, and tend to stay out and about til’ about 7pm, at that time it gets very quiet.

To keep track of the numerical emergence, I take a broom and sweep off them shells from the trunk of my 65′ tall pine tree, and the wooden swingset right in front of it. They will vary from day to day. Two days ago (during a rainy day) there were only a dozen or so, then yesterday (dry and partly sunny), there were hundreds of them in the same spot! I keep a daily tally, and brush them off to get a good idea of how long we’ll be getting the full emergence from them on a daily basis!

We LOVE LOVE LOVE CICADAS! Brood X has finally emerged here in Harford County Maryland! Our home is only 15 years old so we don’t have them in our yards but we are surrounded by hundreds of acres of forest and undisturbed grounds. We have waited seventeen long years for these beauties to make their appearance and we’re so happy to see them! One question is, hundreds of the freshly molted, still clinging to trees have malformed wings. This makes me sad to think they’ve waited all this time just to emerge and mate and now they cannot fly. Is their malformation because of pesticides? I hope everyone enjoys their beautiful healing symphony as much as my husband and I do.

Hi Di,

RE: Malformed wings

I confess hitting the yard with my “bug stuff,” which is 2 tsp of Malathion + 2 tsp of Triatrizide in a gallon of water. My typical target is large ant hills which permeate my front yard, but this spring, I noticed hemispherical mud “balls” in the yard. When I pulled on of them up, they contained a perfectly round impression in the top, and a perfectly round 1/2″ wide hole disappearing down in the ground and out of sight. I filled these holes with my “bug stuff,” and upon emerging in that area, the cicada indeed were malformed, having short wings, short bodies, and most would emerge and just “park” on a wooden object of some sort. I noticed that they don’t seem to make any of the typical cicada noises.

I’m actually more hunting for ant nests rather than cicada. I won’t intentionally kill a live one flying around. If they land on me, I just get them by the end of the wings, and transfer them to a tree or a chain link fence where they grab on. They’ll yell at me while I’m moving them, but I don’t try to damage them, just move them to a new spot.

One thing I noticed in my area (Cincinnati) is that outdoor animals (squirrels, moles, groundhogs, dogs and cats seem to feed on them. I just looked outside my door at our deck, and on the corner of the deck, I counted 41 cicada wings. Evidently the “feeders” eat the body and leave the wings..

They haven’t had a favorable emergence in this area, as after the first two days, it cooled down in to the 40F for a day, followed by three days of consistent rain (still going as I type this). During rain, they become absolutely silent, and once the rain desists, they’re out by the zillions. One neighbor with a 70′ maple tree had a “pile” of cicada at the base of the tree more than one foot thick! I’m lucky my yard has a 65′ white pine, and they don’t seem to stick around them very much, attaching more to trees with leaves vs. needles.

We also have a holly tree in the front yard, and so far the emergent cicada shells will show up on the weeds at the base of the holly tree, but none on the holly itself, possibly indicating that holly is not a “friendly” type for them to hang out..

I wish y’all the best, either being a friend or foe for the next month or so..

I have a music studio here, I’m going to try to record their thousands emoting a few yards away.. That sounds like a UFO from bad horror films flying around, whereas the ones closer in my own yard have the more treble-staccato sounds. And as much as I not abhor’ed by them in general, I still carry out one of those electric fly-swatters (they look like small badminton racquets), and use that to lightly push them in another direction.

I am extremely excited about the 2021 Brood X that will be here in Maryland soon. I first saw them 17 years ago and was initially scared and then after a little detective work and monitoring decided I actually love them from the way they look to their sounds. My son was young and I was on mom with his class on a school trip to the zoo when they were flying all around us. The little kids are scared but I showed them that the cicadas were harmless and quite beautiful by taking some of them off of the things they landed on( not trees) and placing them open down my blouse in the place where buttons were. I truly ended up being the coolest mum on the trip and the kids loved them but more importantly were not scared anymore. Can’t wait to experience that again this year with my grandchildren.

Sorry, couldn’t find a place to edit. I usually talk text and didn’t check punctuation/ grammar.

Hi Mad,

You are TRULY the coolest mum on the block! I have an in-ground pool 12′ deep in my back yard, and it’s my policy to “save the cicada” when they land on the water. I’ll use the skimmer and skim them out of the water and give them another chance at life. I guess I’m trying to “make up” for hitting their groundholes earlier in May with my “bug stuff.”

I live in Houston, Texas. Yesterday I found a cicada with 80% if it’s body missing but still alive ( it did not have any white spores around it) I thought my cat had attacked it, but today there’s one more with a third of its body missing and only one wing. So I thought it might be a birth defect or maybe the beneficial nematodes that I applied to my lawn twice in the past month( to deal with grubs) that led me to read about the horrible Massospora cicadina. I wonder if there is a way to prevent this. And by the way, I found the cicada humming very calming and beautiful.

This seems like a good place to ask. Is there anything else that can leave a cicada with no abdomen, other than the fungus STD?
I saw one that’s abdomen was COMPLETELY gone, even some of the thorax looked hollowed out.
There only a few white spots, they were very small.
Despite all this, the cicada was still moving around. It reacted to my presence

i was just about to hang a hummingbird feeder on a reed branch in my yard, when the cicada hum in a nearby property’s tree reminded me that maybe that isn’t such a good idea — would it attract the cicadas (sugar water?!)
or do cicadas by some lucky chance like tree sap only ?:)

i was just about to hang a hummingbird feeder on a reed branch in my yard, when the cicada him in a nearby property tree reminded me that maybe that isn’t such a good idea and would attract the cicadas (sugar water?! or do cicadas by some lucky chance like tree sap only ?:)

@katherine, cicadas drink tree sap from branches and roots, not nectar from flowers, so in general I think it’s OK. That doesn’t mean cicadas won’t land on the feeder and otherwise annoy the hummingbirds you want to feed though.

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thank you — better wait i think, should be just four weeks or so right? (do cicadas return underground after that?)

@Katherine, 3 or 4 weeks. The cicadas die, but their eggs will hatch at the end of the summer, and the nymphs will fall to the tree and enter the ground.

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I live in Elmhurst, IL They are everywhere!!!! Started arriving about a week ago today, June 6 you can practically watch them emerge from the ground.

RE: Watching them emerge from the ground

I’ve been noticing that emergence, around here, it’s usually after dark when they start coming out of the holes in their “shell” version. I get a curious kick checking out to see how far they will climb out before they then “come out of their shells” in that “white” first emergence form. I notice that the largest amount will be between 3 and 12′ high in the trees, then higher up, the less shells are shown. After about 20′ you tend not to see any further up on the tree trunks..

Personally, I enjoy having white pine trees in my yard, where my neighbors all have trees with leaves. This allows me the luxury of watching them flying amok during the day from all the leafy trees. It seems that a good percentage of them will “sleep” in the ground on the blades of grass, then “come up” after dawn. My little dog will run out in the morning to do his “morning things,” and when running into the yard, dozens will fly up from the ground! They tend not to fly “at” him, but rather “away” from him and up into the trees and onto the chain link fences.

It IS fun watching them fly around during the day and doing their “thang.”

And the MOST fun is watching the daytime gardeners bringing out the lawnmowers during the day. The cicada definately seem to enjoy flying around noise making machines (including cars)..

Dan, currently experiencing the stragglers here in the Chicago area from Brood 13. Is there a good explanation as to why there are stragglers in the first place? Does it have anything to do with nutrient flow up the xylem tubes of trees year to year? Thanks

We have been listening to our brood IX Cicadas for some time now. We live 14 miles south of Rocky Mount, Virginia. We started seeing them here around May 10th. I ‘enjoy’ having them around except for my dogs. We have a fenced yard for them but have not let them off leash for weeks due to their desire to eat every Cicada they can reach. Is there some way to send you photos I’ve taken of the Cicadas?

I live in SW Virginia and we have been hearing the cicadas, I’m assuming from the 17 year brood that is emerging here, for a couple of weeks now. We have only seen a couple near our home, thank goodness, but a house not even 1/4 of a mile up our street was covered in them more than a week ago. Is it unrealistic to hope that somehow our property will be spared even though we can hear them all around us? They totally creep me out!

Since i don’t have a smart fone, and the App doesn’t work on my iPad, i’m posting here in the hopes this get’s entered in whatever database…..so here goes:

On May 29, 2020, i saw a Cicada “shell” clinging to the side of my house… I had 2 thoughts: Either it’s an annual that emerged 4-5 weeks early, or it’s a 17-year emerging 4 years early (I’m in northern Illinois; Brood XIII). Then yesterday, June 1, 2020, i heard a 17-year singing! Obviously a male and it was located near Austin and Beckwith Rd in Morton Grove, IL 60053….about 3 miles from my house. THEN, today, June 2, 2020, it was confirmed—I actually saw a 17-year on my driveway (can’t know if it was the same one clinging to my house the other day), which is located near Lake St and Harms Rd in Glenview, IL 60025. Unfortunately, its wings didn’t unfurl properly, so it’s damaged goods. Nevertheless, i put it in the tree in the hope it might meet a mate.

Hope this finds its way to the proper place…..

I just saw a nymph! I was taking my dogs out at night, and decided to check the trees for beetles. Totally wasn’t expecting to find a nymph. I’ve never seen one living, just the exuviae they leave behind. I was so excited I sent a video to my mom and sister LOL
Do you think a cicada could have a successful molt inside a mason jar? I’d really love to watch one molt! I’d release it after, of course.

@Olive, a big Mason jar. 🙂 They need a vertical surface to molt on, so you would need to put a stick in the jar.

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Yup, already got it! I’ve had it fixed up for a few days, but my nightly checks have turned up with nothing. 🙁
Maybe only the stragglers are out now? Or maybe my area is just not popular… I found 7 exuviae that first day, but absolutely nothing since. I hope I didn’t miss them. 🙁 I feel stupid for not nabbing that one I saw!

Ooh the anticipation! When you hear that first one, you know it’s going to be a long month or so…

I dug up a cicada nymph today and a nearby cluster of eggs I assume were related. It began to wake up and I reburied it. Do cicadas go back to hibernation until the right time or will it emerge sooner or not at all?

Eggs are very tiny, about an 8th of an inch long, and they’ll be located in a scratch in a tree branch — if that isn’t what you saw, it’s probably not cicada eggs.

The nymph will dig it’s way back out if it wants to, or stay underground and find a root (they get their nutrition from tree fluids) until it’s ready. Technically they don’t hibernate underground, especially during warmer months — mostly they feed.

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Is this a particular brewed year? I have seen a bunch of nymphs in the last few days on my front steps, and today I literally just avoided stepping on one that had just hatched. I put him in a sycamore tree, but not sure what I should actually do with newbies that have just hatched and are crawling on the ground. I like cicadas… Should I put them in a tree or on a plant or leave them on the ground?

@Jill, I like the term “brewed” — fresh brewed cicadas. 🙂 Depending on where you are, Brood VIII is out in PA, OH and WV. Brood X is also emerging early (2 years) in the D.C. area. If you put the young ones on a plant or tree it will give them a better chance at life.

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The cicadas are so loud in our yard right now. We are in Ledbetter, TX. It’s 9:12 pm.

I Haven’t and have never heard them making a sound. The cicadas i see are brown with red eyes. why do they all gather on the electrical post and remain there all day and night?

I’m sure you have reports from here but they are in Fillmore Court of Crofton Md 21114.

What would happen if a 17 cicada and a tibicen davisi cicada mated? Would they end up with children the size of an adult’s knee-cap, would the davisi eat the 17, or would the whole world explode from chaos? Thanks!

Don’t worry, they wouldn’t mate, and even if they did (like if scientists forced them to) they wouldn’t produce offspring, because they’re very distantly related.

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Imagine if I was mowing my lawn when suddenly BAM!!! CICADAS COMING AFTER ME LIKE I WON THE F***ING GOLDEN TICKET!!! (you: stay calm man! they’re just thinking that nois is from a cicada, making them land on you.) me: Oh.

I live near Lake Julian in Arden NC and I think I hear them in a distance which started yesterday. I never heard that sound before.

You are definitely hearing cicadas in Arden! my friends house is around the corner off White Pine Rd. His yard has been covered with cicadas​ for last 3 weeks. But yet I have no cicadas in my yard or neighborhood.

I have so many cicadas on my front is pitiful it’s over 100 all over my walls all of my floor they coming out of the ground in groups of 30 I can let my dog outside because they’re everywhere I don’t know what to do I spray them they keep coming back I’ve killed over 100 I know

Please don’t kill them. They aren’t harmful. Just hose them down or remove them with a broom. Spraying them will not stop more from emerging.

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I am in Fort Washington Maryland and my house is the only house that has cicadas on it why? My neighbors homes they don’t even go to Lydius at my house

Tillie! We are in the same boat in Temple Hills Maryland not far from Fort Washington as you know and it seems our house is the only house with cicadas hundreds of them on our porch we are contemplating staying at a hotel .

Us too!!! Why is our house the only one in the neighborhood with cicadas? It’s freaking me out. We literally have 100s on the outside walls and patio. And the birds have destroyed my potted plants going for the cicadas.

Adrienne and Lettie…. we think it’s the porch light. Try turning it off at night when they are at their busiest. We turned off the light and this morning only a handful out there… less than ten. Good luck to you!

Tillie, You and Yvette are not alone! I live in Fort Washington in an area very close to the water and the woods. As such,I thought that maybe these were factors in why we have an abundance on our porch and the outer structure of the house. But, obviously there’s some other unknown winning factor… Whatever the case, they are everywhere!

I live in Plymouth N.C. My neighbor has a bike with a couple of horns on it . One doesn’t work she showed me something today . It’s a larva of something it’s looks like a cicada larva but it’s got a covering almost as hard as plastic with some light brownish material. Then there’s the larva . If there was a way I would send you a photo of it . Has this ever happened with a cicada ?

I have been seeing flagging on local trees for about a week now. Does that mean that we may be seeing the end of this soon?! I don’t mind their sound or even them being around but I hate when they land on me so I’m basically stuck inside right now except for work… Looking forward to enjoying some summer here soon…

I live in Belle Vernon Pa and they are every where! I take my pug for a walk and they land all over my shirt.

Your comment about wimpy trees is totally off base. We have a backyard orchard of 7 mixed apple, pear, cherry,and plum trees –4 years old — and they are being decimated. I’m so sick of these websites saying how wonderful these things are. We stand to lose a couple hundred dollars, not to mention time and tools to get this little orchard started. I just wish someone had warned us that NEXT YEAR was the time to plant an orchard, so the trees would have 16 years of growth before the next batch of monster cicadas comes out.

Carol- you are spot on with that comment! I am pissed and saddened that we will lose, as of today 13 of our 15 almond and hazel nut trees. BS, these cicadas are extremely damaging to fruit and nut trees. Oh! I forgot the young Paper Birch and Quacking Aspens that are trashed as well. Our 4 yr old apple and Peach trees might make it. Is what it is, right? I hate cicadas.

I live in 84 Pa and they are everywhere. The sound is deafening, they are disgusting prehistoric bugs that I have grown to love. Lol. Last week we had a cold spell and it was so quite. I missed them. Though they are starting to wear out there welcome because it’s hard to do most anything outside without swatting them off you. Very interesting creatures. Sometimes I think I’m in a Alfred Hitchcock movie, like “The Birds” I hope they are gone before Bass season opens next week.

I cannot deal with these things! I can’t even go out when it’s dark to water my flowers because they are still flying around! I have been dive bombed all day today at my pool. Mine past 2 days they have been chirping so loud, I can’t wait until they are gone!! My dog has been enjoying them as a tasty treat! Can you tell me how much longer they will be here? They have been making a loud droning noise for a couple weeks but chirping/singing for a week. My live in Bolivar, Ohio.

My yard is loaded with 17 year cicada. I live south of Cleveland. With so many in my yard, I wonder how long before eggs hatch and baby ‘white looking ants’ start falling to the ground from my tree branches. I’m a green thumb constantly working in my wooded yard. Do I need to be concerned with them falling into my hair? How long before this happens once eggs are laid? How long before they hatch and emerge from branch to fall to ground and burrow back into soil? Today is June 11 and they are in full force!

When I’ve been mowing or weedeating I’m getting bit by the cicadas and it really hurts, almost like a horsefly. I know they’re attracted to noise but why are they biting so much? Is there any way to prevent that other than not mowing or weedeating?

I’m not sure what was biting you, but it certainly was not cicadas. They are completely harmless, and they do not bite or sting.

I absolutely despise this things. It seems that every time I am outside doing anything, they land on me all the time. They wouldn’t be that bad if they didn’t land on me all of the time. Does sweating lead to the cicadas wanting to land on you more often? Also, when will they be gone for good?

Probably not sweating, but being the approximate size of a small tree. When they’ll be gone depends on when they started to sing. A good rule of thumb is 3 to 4 weeks after they start singing.

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There seems to be a sudden and unexplained inscrease of ants indoors around here. Is there any correlation to the cicadas?

I don’t think so, but I’m not 100% sure. If you have piles of dead cicadas around your house (outside) it might attract cicadas.

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These damn things are so loud. Isn’t there some type of spray to get rid of them permanently. Like when they treat for mosquitos. They are so loud where I am I can’t even sleep at night.

I am curious and concerned: my hummingbirds have disappeared since the cicada have arrived. Are the hummers affected by the insects?

The birds don’t like the noise so the head for areas where there cicadas are not. They will return though.

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Most of my birds & other animals like squirrels are gone since I first heard the cicadas on Memorial Day evening. I’ve had many different species of birds here & so many animals here I don’t know what to look at first. Now I only have my gold finch & house finch, and doves. Every once in a while I see another type of bird, including hummingbirds, but most have left. I knew it had to be something that I’ve not seen before, so the cicadas are the reason. Hoping they all come back to Diane’s Diner when this is over. I’m also a Cocker Spaniel breeder & pretty sure they’ve also cleaned up outside.

how long will they be here southern ohio…they have been here already a month?

This is our 2nd time with 17 year Locust. We have lived here 19 yrs. So enjoy reading your article and people’s posts. We have become more interested this time! Learning new things each day. This time we have chickens, ducks and guinea fowl. They are having a blast! Also have flying squirrels and did not know they would eat them. But now we know why the peanut butter we put out for them lasts longer! Thanks so much!!!

They’re not Locusts… Locusts are actually grasshoppers that go through a change after a drought and then a rapid vegetation growth.

Possible. They can harm human hearing with prolonged experience, and if you place the cicada directly on your ear.

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What will happen if the weather gets down to 65 after they have emerged and begun mating

Usually at 65 they won’t sing and fly around, they’ll just relax and wait for the weather to get around 70. It doesn’t hurt them in any way.

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We live in Perry, Ohio, along the Grand River. There are tons of these interesting guys (and gals) in our area right now. They are singing loudly almost all day. If you want to see them and hear them, go to some of the local parks here. Mason’s Landing and Indian Pointe are two great locations for experiencing them!

we are planning a motorcycle ride from ohio through the blueridge parkway. leaving the week of june 19. will this be a miserable ride this year?

You may miss them but if u hate them as much as I do and they are still around yes it’s going to be a horrible ride. Honestly I wouldn’t do it for $1million unless I could be put in some special suit so that I couldn’t see or feel any of them, seriously right now a car ride around here is miserable

I Live in Ohio, The Cicadas are loud during the day,, I have got some really cool pictures of them. They are very friendly and harmless, Funny I swear one kept following me after I picked it up and put it out on a tree for some reason I think the same one kept coming back to me. Very cool little boogers. Fascinating to me for some reason, so much to learn on so much in this world and we all continue to learn something new every day and still so much in this world we don’t know.

A year or so ago I was gardening and I found a cicada that was greenish, whiteish and some black highlghts but it was in the ground what does this mean?

Do hummingbirds have an aversion to the 17 yr cicadas? My hummingbirds have nearly all disappeared since the onslaught of the cicadas here in SE Ohio.

Enjoy them folks…they are all part of mother nature’s Big Plan for survival and part of God’s little creatures.
Now if any of you just read the main topic…it tells you all the question’s being asked.
They are primary in NW and NE USA..they will be gone end of July. So next time your out in sun…it ain’t sweat you feel on your head…it’s Cicada Wizz !!

Be Safe in all you do…the life you save…just might be your own !!1 MicroMan

We live in Dresden, Ohio and have really enjoyed watching, listening to and learning about them. We walk around through the day collecting them and putting them on the trees to “help them out” – as of now, ours are ramping down – my husband experienced the attraction to his weed eater the other day

Do they cause this awful smell that is occurring around our large oak trees???There are thousands of them!!!

Sent you info just awhile ago..forgot to let you know where we live. Central Ohio/Knox County/ the most SE corner.
So thanks again. Oh, they do not seem as loud as 17years ago yet…will that increase…I hope!

I love in Ohio too and am wondering when the noise level of the cicadas will “turn down”. Haha They are super loud! Or when will the adult life cycle wind down? Hate to whine, but just wondering…

how do they last for 17 years in between without decaying over the years?

When is the best time I can mow my lawn (I have a riding mower) to harm the fewest amount of cicadas possible? We have two acres here, and I think the brood emergence is a fascinating and rare thing that should be appreciated, however, unfortunately, I can’t go 3 weeks without mowing my lawn! Lol! Thanks!

If you wait a week all the cicadas that are going to emerge will probably be out of the ground. That said, cicadas are sometimes attracted to the sound of a lawn mower — so they may land on you as you cut the lawn. The best time to avoid that is in the early morning and close to dusk.

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Do birds eat the cicadas? We have a small bird feeder in our yard that is usually flocked by birds. But since the beginning of the cicada emergence (a few days ago), the bird watching for us has diminished. We are between Akron and Cleveland Ohio. Thanks

Birds do eat cicadas, but the cicada’s screaming also scares birds away. So either the birds are stuffed and taking a post-Thanksgiving-like nap, or they’re hiding out where the cicada’s chorus isn’t so LOUD. Don’t worry — the birds always return once the cicadas are done screeching.

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Yes, my birds & squirrels are gone too. I live in Olmsted Twp. For the most part, I have only finches & doves, and I think they may be young ones as well so maybe they don’t know to leave. I think the bigger birds & the squirrels are eating the cicadas (and likely my dogs).

Do animals eat the shells? We collected a pile of them and they were gone this morning

Probably. Their shells are made of chitin, a polymer of glucose (sugar), so they might be tasty. I bet squirrels and birds would use them for nesting materials was well.

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*Does* this only last a few weeks?? I can’t remember… I’m in Northeast Ohio, so far haven’t seen anything, but I have two concerns – I need to get a muzzle for my dog who is an absolute food hound, and the more bothering concern – I have a fairly rare-for-these-parts Japanese Maple, a Variegated Butterfly Dwarf, in my front bed. It’s over 15 years old now, strong, and very well established (about 9-10 feet high), but has been plagued by bugs in the past (systemic scales). I give it a does of Bayer bug control every year (root feeding) since the first time it got sick, so it got it’s dose this year too, just about a month ago. It would be a near-impossibility for me to cover it. If this is only going to last a few weeks I hope it will be all right. Can anyone give me any advice for this? I’d be devastated if I lost that tree.

Will these things be gone by the beginning of July? I live in Southwestern Pennsylvania

l forgot to mention I’m in Southeast Ohio, right on the Ohio, WV on the other side.

My pup keeps bringing them in the house, and I keep trying to save them. 1 find it rather sad they spend so much time in-ground only to live 5-6 weeks. I don’t really understand why its such a short period of time? There was a time whe I found insects terrifying and disgusting, but now that im older I’m fascinated and don’t mind handling them, even these large Cicadas. Stinkbugs are another story, lol.

Presumably they’re having a fantastic time when they’re underground. Digging tunnels. Building cells. Feeding on roots. Not all that exciting from a human perspective, but it must be fun for them.

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I live in Ohio (hocking hills) & we are finding everywhere! They haven’t started to “sing” yet but I’m certain it’s coming soon. From the research I’ve done on line, they are very fascinating!

I live in Carbon hill and they are making plenty of noise down here.. It started a few days ago.

Our cycle is really hitting now in central ohio. Hundreds and hundreds a day. They started last week. So 5/18/16 was our start time.

The cicadas are brooding in Nebraska this year. Know how I can tell? We are currently living in a camp full of them. And guess what? Being on staff I get to see them for 4 FULL WEEKS! YAY!1! (Please, just shut them up! XD) I am not included in this, but everyone who goes to the camp has created several different ways to kill them, which isn’t surprising considering their tendency to annoy and land on inconvenient parts of people. Okay, maybe I participate a little bit…

We live at Beaver Lake in Nebraska. We have Brood IV? this year. We started seeing a few two weeks ago and started hearing them one week ago. Now there are thousands. We are enjoying watching them, learning about them, and listening to them. Very gentle and slow moving creatures. I feel rather blessed to be experiencing their 17 year emergence. It’s a magical thing that just shows you how amazing nature is.

They have been around now for about three, maybe four weeks here in the Kansas City area (we are in Independence, Mo). Our two dogs gorged on them for the first couple of weeks and they still look for them and relish them but not as fanatical as at first. Lots of trees here, my ears continue to buzz for a while even after coming in the house!

Only 4 weeks?someone promise me this is only 4 weeks!!!! Lawrence, ks here….I hear them from the woods as I Drive down for 435….when is the best time to mow my yard so I don’t get flocked

They are everywhere here in Mclouth Ks. You can’t go outside without being covered by several. The noise is awful. I am ready for them to be gone!

Here in Southern Illinois just So. of Il. 146 & rt. 37. The cicadas ARE DEAFFINING.
I have a forest behind my home and the big red bug eyed noisemakers are driving me batty !!

We live in Wichita KS, and they are thick – hundreds of thousands of them in the trees. I can see them lining the branches and leaves. Not enjoyable to be outside!

I love that sound it has good memories with it. My grandkids are hearing them for the first time. When you hear the sound you know it’s summer.

They are thick at our farm in central kansas .they are not in the pasture because we burnt it off this year.we live along a creek and kansas has went from all being in drought to having the drought completely gone except for western kansas and that only because the water hasn’t made it to the aquifer out there yet.the 5 year drought was wiped out in one month we’ve had 21 inches in 2 months still chances of rain so locust are thick but none in town

In Missouri here along 50 Hwy between Lee’s Summit and Warrensburg. The cicadas are LOUD and NUMEROUS! They are all in my woods. Will it be like this all summer? I have young peach trees, and wondering if they will hurt them.

Temps were in the 40s last night and still chilly this morning in Topeka KS. The cicadas are on the trees by the hundreds and just falling to the ground before shedding. Will they come out of their shells if it warms up? Also what is the best way to preserve them for fish bait? Thanks for any info.

The ones that aren’t out of their shells (stuck half way) will die that way. The best was to preserve them for fish bait would be a refrigerator.

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They are in full force here in southern Arkansas, in the early mornings and late evenings you can hear what sounds like millions of them.

I also live in SW Tennessee (Shelby county) & there are Cicadas everywhere here (May 2915)-especially in the woods behind our home-it’s “extremely” loud. We hear two distinct sounds…one is the typical loud variable buzzing (buzz saw like)cicadas often make…And the other (we’d never heard before) a constant loud mechanical like whirring or loud “white noise” sound…it’s really horribly loud…. Some delivery people from the city were so intimidated by the sounds they said they’d never come into this area at night-it was downright spooky sounding. Even neighbors who’ve lived in the area their entire lives said they’ve never heard anything like this…some thought maybe the additional sounds were coming from some factory, some thought a broken loud speaker/security system, etc., etc… But after investigating it…it’s definitely coming from the woods without a seemingly apparent focal point-hence the cicadas in the trees…unlike anything we’ve ever heard before! It’s almost maddening! I’m wondering if it could be the whirring of their wings from just their sheer numbers (millions of them) combined with their usual calls?? Wish you had a link for audio/video…

There are three species and each have their own repertoire of mating songs, defensive squawks, and choruses. All these sounds combined can make for an unusual symphony (or cacophony) of sounds… sounds that are often described as U.F.O.s (these are the M. tredecim), roaring static (these are the M. tredecassini), or the madness of a 1000 ticking clocks (M. tredecula + mating songs of other species). All together it can sound like a mad house factory. Hang in there, it only lasts for a few weeks.

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We have them here in savannah and adamsville tn. Been going on about a week. My house has a cple hundred on them since it’s all wood.

Hi! I live in Fayette County, TN (southwest corner of the state) and I began hearing then to the east almost 3 weeks ago. Now they are on top and moving to the west. They are incredibly LOUD!!!! How much longer do you think I will hear them? I live in the country and love the outdoors… but, this is maddening and I can’t stay outside! Help!!!!

I live in Blue Springs, Mo. They are starting to really show up in my yard. Going out on my deck I found three live ones and I am not liking it. They really freak me out and I want them gone.

My garden is covered by cicada wings. I have not found any shells in the garden, but during a walk in our back woods this morning, their little exoskeletons were everywhere. Is there a reason their wings are littering my garden? They are beautiful…

Hi I live in the family15108 area of Pennsylvania. When will I start seeing the cicadas in my area?

Eva, 2019 for sure, although, in 2016 Brood V will be out right across the border in OH and a bit of Pensy.

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Will they be in western maryland this year??? Im excited… Havent seen them since 2004 when I was a kid.

I just started hearing the call of a single cicada outside the front of the house this afternoon. Cannot see it and only hear the one, so far. Parkville, Mo.

We live in Southaven Mississippi and have hundreds of shells under and on our trees. We also have lots of holes in the ground under the trees. Do they come from under the ground? The singing starting just a few days ago. I am freaked out by them and will not be planting any flowers or trimming bushes etc until they are gone. I remember these from when I was a child and hated them then as well.

We have them everywhere rite now Here in potts camp ms, the steady hum has been going for about 2/3 weeks now… skin everywhere and they have took over my only tree in my front yard

I live in Iuka Mississippi. We live near the woods where the Battle of Iuka was faught in The Civil War. The cicadas are all in the woods behind our house. They have gotten on some of my trees in our yard. How long will these casadas hang around? The noise they make is real deafening. Today is May 19-2015. They hAve been here a week.

They started singing here in west Tn today,sounds like horror movie!! Creepy!!

They are here in louisiana this year they started singing few days ago

Yep! They’re taking over southern Illinois and I can’t wait for the singing! Just yesterday I noticed I’ve never seen so many exoskeletons, they are stuck to every stem in the yard and it’s cool! I live in the Carbondale/Makanda area too…

13 year cicada is in Southern Illinois….Carbondale and Makanda. National Gepgraphic is creating a 7 minute short aty work!!!! Yay for research!!!!

I live in Blue Mountain,MS, our yard and trees are covered with them. In the mornings my husband has to use the blower to blow them off the porch. There are shells stuck on the porch posts, the brick and even the picnic table. Never seen anything like this in my life. I sat today and watched three shed their shells, Amazing!!!!

Yup, we just started seeing them here in West TN (Counce/Pickwick Dam area.) Both shells and live bugs are everywhere when you really start looking for them. They haven’t become just a huge nuisance, and I haven’t heard even one “Pharoah-Pharoah” hum yet…. but I know it’s coming!!! I actually remember seeing another type of cicada here just a few years ago, but there weren’t that many and they didn’t really look like these. They were much bigger. I don’t see the option to leave a picture of them here or I would. Great website by the way, exactly what I was looking for! Thank you for helping everyone out!

There are hundreds of them here right now. I live in north Mississippi and I found this website because I wanted more info on the hundreds of them on my front porch.

They are so thick on my porch that it is hard to walk. The crunch is unnerving. All my plants and trees are covered. One of my dogs eats them like they were candy. The dachshund just bites them until they move, them she slings them out of her mouth. I have never seem this many before, but the land next to us has been cleared, so they may have come over here to hang on our trees! I am 65 so that will put the time into perspective. The red eyes are peering out of everything! Creepy! I am in Ripley, Mississippi.

I’m earning a bachelor’s in ENV, would love to be in on the research end of this. Please contact me via email. Right now as I write to you, I have hatchling all inside my house and outside, these are the smaller darker cicada with red eyes. We were so excited that we were able to take pictures as they hatch. I’m in a suburb called Raleigh/Millington just outside of Memphis Tennessee

I look forward to the cicadas each year and love hearing them sing to me.
I’ve read every thing I can and find no time table regarding their life span and the stages they go thro.

I live in CNY and found a shell this morning and heard one singing tonight. We recently cut down a pine tree that was dying, could this have caused them to appear?

I am amazed at how many negative comments… I grew up in IN til I was 13 and loved listening to them in the woods behind our house… been in AZ for 23 yrs since then and still enjoy sitting on my porch listening to locust this time of year…. makes me feel like I’m not in town with neighbors right next door or 3 miles away.. Thank you Cicadas for an evening song.. darn crybabies… quit ur belly aching… Cicadas are awesome

I live in Madison Co., Iowa and this is the second time we’ve experienced the 17-year cicadas here. I have noticed no damage to the trees and I’ve never experienced problems such as being peed on although we live in a wooded area. They have a lovely crescendo to their song if you take the time to listen. They are singing right now. I respectfully suggest that we should appreciate their uniqueness and learn to share the space with the other inhabitants of this planet.

I live in southern Iowa and for the last 4 days we have the Cicada mania the orange eyed kind that come out every 17 yrs. Like clockwork, on our 17th wedding anneversary they start to emerge. These will last for about 6 weeks and then will die off. Great fish bait, got to gather some and go fishing.

I live in Baton Rouge La and I have then. They have been here a week. I read your web site to see when the would leave. I’m not scared of them. Just wont them to leave. They come out every night around 9:00pm.

I found one in my backyard and i seriously screemed and ran insdie.. i was on my balence beam and i heard buzzing and i looked over and it was like running ito a party of our roof aned rite know it is just sitting there…. its huge! 😮 🙁 CCAN THEY HURT YOU? 🙁

I live on the third floor in an apartment and I never have windows open or doors, my place is always clean etc. I had a big test to go to that I waited for months to take and had a few hours of sleep for the whole week and put my ash tray under the couch and I always get on the floor and look, did not must solide it under. I passes the test somehow and didn’t study, come home to pull the ash tray out, and then a green bodied, black eyed, clear winged cicada was dying(later found out) but defenitely freaked me out. I left at 5:00 a.m. before sun was up and came back at 10:00 a.m. I don’t have plants, and the couch is red and microfiber. I took it outside. Have any idea how it got there and why it would be under the couch?

I will not see them again until 2021 when I am 71 years old. Hope I will still be around.

Hi, my daughter Kara has become very excited about cicada’s. She recently has learned that alive cicada’s have red eyes but when they die they no longer have red eyes!

I’m on pleasant plains Staten Island. Me and my children have not been outside in weeks because of my phobia of bugs. I know they don’t bite I know they are harmless but I fear bugs! My skin crawls knowing they are out there and I lose it at least 3x a day!! Please when will thus go away!!!!! I want to go outside!!!!! Also will we wake up one day and its just all over or do the slowly go away??

when did the cicadas actually start and when will they be just about all gone…planning a party and dont want guests to be bothered or myself for that matter

When they started depends on your location, but they’re usually around for 3 to 4 weeks once they start singing. Rain and cool weather can prolong that time. Probably the worst part of having a garden party would be the odor the dead ones create. Make sure you clean up.

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I am just wondering when did the cicadas actually start and when will they be almost all gone…planning a party and dont want guests to be bothered or myself for thst matter???

I remember the red eyed cicadas in 1996 when living in Louisville, KY. I now live in Southern MN and wondering if we will see any of them this year up here? What an interesting creature!

OMG!!! They are everywhere. Their shells are still attached to my house afterwards. Don’t tell me to get over it….they freak me out. I leave my house and feel like we are being invaded by locusts!!! The sound is unbelievably loud and I am petrified of being bitten. It’s just gross. I live in the woods in PA. I’ve been here almost 20 years and NEVER saw anything like this!!!

They probably don’t exist in Marlboro. For the most part they dont’t exisit south of the Raritan river.

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We are still waiting for them to arrive here in Marlboro, New Jersey. Any chance they have had a change in plans?!

Your info. is great. We live in Brooklyn, NY. 11201. Will they be descending on us??

My New York husband and I (GA born) are having a heated conversation about two
nymph “shells” and a dead adult (17 year) we found while out walking today, 5/29. (The dead adult was on the ground.) I told him that Cicadas in Georgia are a bit larger. I collected nymphs and adults since I was a child, and later with my two sons. Can Cicadas vary in size in different regions of the US? My hobby was collecting insects for many years. He disagrees with me about size, which I find baffling.
You have a gorgeous Website. Congratulations.

Best Regards,
brenda lester
NY

Brenda, there are over approximately 170 species of cicadas in North America, many of which are larger than the 17-year cicadas. Like Neotibicen.

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Since the past 5-6 days, i noticed these hard shelled termite looking insects outsid our garage. the numbers grew rapidly and now, we step on them while walking to a car! Some winged cicadas resembling the pictures posted above are also present. they all latch on to the concrete wall. The shelled creatures ae dying and falling to the ground and thus we step on these crunchy things.
I thought they were termites – and am scared of damage to the house but plan on calling a pest expert to ensure these are cicadas! interestingly, I also noticed an increase in number of dead black fuzzy spiders in that area!
We live in Warren NJ. yes it’s true, their activity diminished with the rain. We have a tall oak tree about 15 feet from where i saw these cicadas (if that’s what they are) and I saw 2 of them at teh base of teh tree, on on teh trunk about 3 ‘ above ground. I hope they are not that much of a menace as the internet claims it may become this year

Holy Cow! They’re EVERYWHERE!!!! My dogs won’t stop eating them!!! Eden, NC

I’m from NJ do we have like an estimated date as to when they may come? My daughters haven’t seen them yet, and I remember as a kid I didn’t like them to much. I don’t want them to be shocked one day with all the bugs..

Definitely within the next 2-3 weeks. A few have emerged in Westfield and Iselin already. When the emerge depends on the weather. If it gets chilly they’ll stay in their holes, but once it gets into the 80s the emergence will explode.

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Will they invade my pool? Should we wait to open it until after the cicadas leave?

They’ll accidentally fly into your pool, or when they die they can fall into it. They won’t purposely go into the pool.

Remember to clean your pool filter and skim often.

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There are large yellow subterranean wasp that kill and take the insect into its nest under ground. In Texas we call these wasp locust killers. Its fascinating to watch this attack. The wasp are relentless once the are focused on there prey.
Would you happen to know the name of the wasp?

Those wasps are called Cicada Killer Wasps (Sphecius speciosus). No kidding. Here’s the interesting part: there isn’t a Cicada Killer Wasp that attacks periodical cicadas. No wasp was able to synchronize with periodical cicadas because of their huge 17 year life cycle. Cicada Killer Wasps go for annual species of cicadas, like those that belong to the genus Tibicen.

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Thanks, Dan. Although it would have been interesting as I haven’t seen nor heard them for 50 years or so.

I live in upstate NY, NE of Syracuse. Will the 2013 cicadas extend this far north? Thanks!

I might have made two posts today, sorry about that but I have a second question.
Two trees were cut down by the county and I was wondering if this means that the roots will die along with the tree. Will the cicadas survive on the roots when the tree is gone?

That’s fine. Larry, yes, sometimes the roots survive and cicadas will still emerge from the ground. I’ve observed this personally. Crab apple trees were removed and years later the cicadas still emerged.

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The last 17 year cicada for my area (Baltimore County) was in 2004 but some counties did not see any at all. Probably because there were some newer developments that did not exist in 1987.

Does it mean that some of the areas in MD that did not see the cicadas in 2004 will see them in 2013?

Larry, the broods II (2013) and X(2004) overlap in the following counties St. Marys, Prince Georges, Montgomery, Charles, Calvert, Baltimore, Anne Arundel.

Possibly not in the same towns.

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I live in Phx, Arizona. We have the annual kind of Cicada’s here and it amazes me how many people call them Locust, usually people who aren’t from here. I look forward to hearing them – although many people here do not share my enthusiasm. I’d never heard of the 13yr-17yr Cicada’s, so when I saw the “headline”, I followed the link. I’m so glad I did. These facts (and the comments too) gave me the answer to “what did you learn today?”.. I plan to share this with my family as we are starting to hear them now. TOTALLY COOL. Thank you so much for the “fun for my family” information.

Hi, I’m looking for Magicicadas around Larchmont, NY. Does anyone know of an emergence (17 years ago) in this area? Thanks!

I’m in the Raleigh, North Carolina area. I’m thinking about a ‘pecan pie’ recipe for the cicadas. I see that I want the females, teneral if possible. But I’m worried about the abdomen fungus mentioned. Will I be able to spot an infected female with untrained eyes?

Although, I guess what does it matter? If you’re going to eat a bug pie, what’s a little fungus?

Not sure about the fungus, but there are plenty of resources on the web to guide you through insect preparation and cooking.

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The 17 year variety do not appear in Vermont, but annual species do, such as T. canicularis (Dog Day cicada) and O. canadensis.

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I live in catonsville, maryland 21228. Will this be a big area where the Brood II will appear?

I am eagerly awaiting the emergence of the Brood II cicada in my neighborhood and yard. I have lived in the same location for 26 years, so have fond memories of the last emergence here in 1996. Have not seen any chimneys yet and the ground temperature hasn’t been consistently 64 F yet. Last time around, we learned to live with them since we understood that they were harmless. This time, I find it utterly fascinating to observe this natural phenomena. Of course after a couple of weeks, I will probably get tired of the noise and having to sweep my sidewalk so much! 🙂

According to the maps, it doesn’t look like it. 2016/Brood V is the next time they’ll be in at least part of the panhandle.

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Yes. If enough of them die and fall into your pool. They aren’t interested in the water, but if they fall from trees they can clog a pool pump. You just have to make sure you check and clean it out before that happens.

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Thanks for the facts
I am making a huge tracking kit chart and 5 page work sheet for my dad’s b day tomorrow and i was looking for more facts

Wait, wait, when I lived in Asia during my childhood, I remember we had cicadas every summer! The 17/13-year cycle, does that apply only to the New World? Or do different members of the cicada family emerge in different years to make a nearly-annual showing of cicadas?

I live in NJ and heard about the cicadas after i was bragging about my vegetable garden that i started over the weekend. Any reason to worry?

Cicadas are tree parasites, and don’t care much about garden plants. They don’t eat leaves or fruit like grasshopper locusts. Any damage cicadas cause happens when they lay eggs in tree branches.

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Hi!

I just recently read “Being dead”, a novel by Jim Crace where he mentions cicadas in Ecuador which ‘live’ in diesel. It sounds intriguing and I was wondering if this is fact or fiction?

thanks!
Adelie

I lived in Staten island by a while ago. I remember not being able to open my front door. They would cling to mu window screen and on the floor it would be close to a 2 ” carpet of red eyed locusts it was disgusting. I had to get a pushbroom to make a path out. Is it like that in central AZ too? It doesn’t happen in the gulf of fl like that! I like bugs but i got creeped out when my house is engulfed in them.

I hear them each day/night now and love the sound. Today I found a dead one. It was not he skeleton but the complete one. It is black, with black eyes. I live in Nothern Virginia. Is the 17 year one? Very curious.

Dan, I know they are just bugs, I was just traumatized as young kid in camp in southern indiana in 1987. Need I say more? Well, I have some in my back yard, haven’t seen any shells but saw a straggler almost fly into me the other day, yes I screamed and ran like an idiot. Luckily this is not Brood X. My question to you is what can be done to minimze an invasion? (I am thinking ahead for 2021) If they’re up in the trees I can deal with that but when they are just like a plague from the Bible, I am petrified. I know I need therapy.

I should write an article about that. Damage occurs when the females lay their eggs. They lay their eggs, make grooves in the branches, which causes “flagging”, or browning of the leaves. They actually do the trees a favor by pruning the weakest branches. That said, they primarily go after trees, so shrubs, flowers and garden plants are generally speaking, safe. Weaker ornamental trees and fruit trees are at a greater risk – the ornamental trees because they are generally small and weak, and the fruit trees, because no farmer wants to lose part of her harvest. For the ornamental trees and fruit trees you can try the insect tape (usually blue or metallic) that wraps around tree trunks, and netting to wrap around the limbs. You can also chase then off with a hose. Unless the majority of your landscaping is petite ornamental trees, you probably don’t have much to worry about. They’ve been doing their think every 17 years for thousands of years, and there are still plenty of trees around to show for it.

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I live in Ohio I’m being infested by theese things there nasty looking do they bite?

They don’t bite like a ant, but they are dumb and may try to drink from your skin thinking it is a tree.

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i was told that it can lay it.s eggs on your skin if landed on it..so is this true and do you have to go to the hospital to get them removed?? if you see a red make on you .there are eggs there under your skin.

Hello, I experienced the (I think) 2007 emergence in suburban Chicago. I was wondering why is it every 17 years? Is that known? What I’m getting at is why don’t some turn 17 years old every year? Or is there some environmental event that triggers the brooding. Thank you!

We don’t know exactly why 17 years, but there are a number of theories. I believe Stephen Jay Gould (in his book “Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History”) first postulated that their long, prime-number life cycles evolved over time in order to avoid gaining a (above ground) predator that would specifically target these cicadas. This theory was fleshed out in the paper “EVOLUTION OF PERIODICITY IN PERIODICAL CICADAS” by NICOLAS LEHMANN-ZIEBARTH and others (all caps because I’m cutting and pasting from the actual document). If some emerged every year in the same location, a predator would eventually evolve to prey on them, and their numbers would be limited, just like annual cicadas like the Tibicen. Tibicens emerge every year in relatively small numbers, and they have a specific wasp that preys upon them (Cicada Killer Wasp).

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OK – so an emergence lasts 4 (to 6) weeks. What does tht mean, exactly?Our cicadas have been around for about a week, with tons of the shells clinging to everything at this point, and seemingly fewer live insects than shells. We are planning a community Garden Walk 4 weeks from now. If we clean up all the shells in the next couple of weeks, should we expect to have lots more shells / bodies to clean up in 4 weeks?

How long (how many weeks) will the 17 year cicadas be around once they start emerging en masse? Will they continue to emerge after the initial “invasion”?

I caught a cicada with the shape of a white bow on its stomach.
I can’t find any reference to this.

My 6 yr. old daughter and I found what I assume is an annual cicada (green eyes and limbs)today in our yard. We watched for a while and then came in to research. Thanks for all of the info. I remember a huge emergence of cicadas when I was a child and look forward to sharing the experience with my kids!

Marsha — it is odd to find one 2 years later. Usually straggling (when a periodic cicada emerges early or later) happens one year later or 4 years prior. But nothings seems impossible.

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We had 17-year cicadas in Northern Illinois in 2007. Today, I found a 17-year cicada on a tree alive. Is
this common?

Well we have lots of the cicadas at Goldendale WA on our place and sort of enjoy looking for them. I have several in a jar, some skins and some was alive when put in the jar. I hear them at night and all day too. I am not going to eat any though but thanks any way see ya Ted It is June 18 2009

Comment to Edna Simpson above – they DO NOT bite. They can’t – they don’t have teeth.

Okay- Minnesota here and dusk, sitting on my back porch as the sun is nearly set. I hear two ten second or so sounds that are just like a cicada, only about
500 times louder. I have never heard anything like it. I know the sounds of cicadas and this was definitely a single insect. Any ideas? I have never heard
anything like it before!

I live in Arizona and we have cicadas every year, and every year they make an unholy racket from May through August. I have seen these bugs, they look very similar to all the pictures I’ve seen on your site.
So why are we seeing them for such a long stretch every single year? I wish they would only come out every 17 years, and only last a month, as your site claims.
I now associate the noise with the boiling heat of our summers. Why are we seeing them every year? Why does it last for 3 whole months? The noise is getting very tiresome.

I lived in Tucson for a few years, and the noise was pretty bad on hot summer days. You’re talking about different species of cicada, though. Most common insects — bees, flies, moths, wasps, butterflies — have many species, with different sizes and habits and habitats. I don’t think there’s much you can do about the cicadas you mean, except get some noise-cancelling headphones, or enjoy your yard at night when they’re mostly sleeping. Maybe you should learn more about your local species; things tend to be less creepy when we understand them better. Hang in there!

They can poke you with their straw-like mouthpiece, but unlike flies or bees they don’t do this maliciously — they only do it when they think you’re a tree.

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How long will they hang around? I am in Kentucky and I am anxious for them to leave!!!

someone said the cicadas do not bite .they are wrong they do bite .we were sitting tobacco in 1992 when they were here.they would light on our legs. and arms. back.and bite us it really hurt i lived in richmond ky anyone working our in the field can tell you they do bite.

Southern Ohio, Kentucky, Northern Tennessee, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, Southern Pennsylvania, Western parts of Virginia & W. Virginia, and parts of New York & New Jersey .

I live in Central PA and started hearing and seeeing the flying adults just today (June 5, 2008)

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