Billions–Yes, Billions–Of Buzzing Cicadas Will Emerge From Underground This Spring
Spring will bring with it warmer than usual temperatures, the budding of new blooms, and the piercing buzzing of Brood XIV as billions of cicadas emerge from underground.
Cicada Safari, founded by Gene Kritsky, has been studying cicadas and gathering data on their movement to track this year’s brood. Here’s everything you should know:
What are periodical cicadas and cicada broods?
According to Cicada Safari, “Periodical cicadas are insects that belong to the order Hemiptera, which includes the stink bugs, bed bugs, aphids, and cicada families.” After hatching, the immature cicadas, also known as nymphs, spend either 13 or 17 years feeding underground before emerging and transforming into adult cicadas in what’s called “broods.”
What is cicada Brood XIV?
Brood XIV is the second largest periodical cicada brood after Brood XIX, and is also known as the “Great(er) Eastern Brood.” In 2076, Brood XIV will co-emerge with Brood XIX.
When will Brood XIV cicadas emerge?
Brood XIV was first reported in 1634, and the last time we heard this particular group of cicadas buzzing was in 2008. The exact moment when these insects will emerge in NYC is not known for sure, but Cicada Safari writes:
Our next major emergence of the periodical cicadas will start in late April and early May 2025, when the 17-year Brood XIV will emerge.
The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation adds, however, that most emerge in May and June.
Where will Brood XIV cicadas emerge?
This year, it’s expected to bring cicadas to 13 states, including New York, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
A map of exactly where the brood will emerge can be seen below:
Do cicadas provide any benefits?
Yes, periodical cicadas do much more than provide the soundtrack to your summer. Cicada Safarin notes that some benefits cicadas provide include the following:
- Their underground tunnels act as a natural aeration of the soil
- The large number of adult cicadas provides an abundance of food to many predators, resulting in a positive impact on their populations
- The females’ egg-laying in trees acts as a natural pruning that results in the tree producing more flowers and fruit the following year
- Cicadas’ decaying bodies contribute a massive amount of nutrients to the soil
What else is there to know about cicadas?
There are four species of 13-year cicadas–Magicicada tredecim, Magicicada neotredecim, Magicicada tredecassini, and Magicicada tredecula–and three species of 17-year cicadas–Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada cassini and Magicicada septendecula.
Beyond the cicada broods, straggler cicadas sometimes emerge a year late in areas that had a large emergence the year prior. And if you’re looking for some cicada-related trivia–aren’t we all?!–only the male cicadas sing, and they do so via sound-producing structures called tymbals on either side of their abdomen.
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