Residents in the Midwest and Southeast should prepare for a season of high-pitched buzzing as two nearby broods of red-eyed flying cicadas emerge from the earth in April. According to the University of Connecticut, cicadas frequently emerge together, but in 2024, Brood XIX—which emerges every 13 years—and Brood XIII—which emerges every 17 years—will emerge simultaneously for the first time in over 200 years. It will take 221 years for these broods to co-emerge again.
What Is Special About Cicadas?
Cicadas, which belong to the family of bed bugs and stink bugs, live in the underground for decades and emerge to the surface only once they mature. The insects dig tunnels to the surface weeks before they are expected to emerge, but they stay underground at a depth of 7-8 inches until the soil is 64 degrees Fahrenheit. The special feature of the cicadas is their long lifespans. They will only have 4-6 weeks to mate, as they will not live for long once they emerge from the soil.
Although their wingspan is roughly twice as long as their body length, periodic cicadas are only 1 to 1.5 inches long. Their huge red eyes and orange-colored veins help to identify them. There are seven species of cicadas; the remaining broods emerge every 13 years, with three species making their surface appearance every 17 years. While most cicadas appear on schedule, some could appear early or late in the year. For example, hundreds of cicadas appeared in 2000, four years before the expected time.
Many states will witness the sight of cicadas, but only two—Indiana and Illinois—will witness both broods. States like Iowa, Wisconsin, and possibly Michigan will be home to Brood XIII. Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia will see the emergence of brood XIX.
Although these insects can be bothersome during mating season, cicadas pose little threat to people. They are not venomous, nor do they bite or sting. As they break down, they can provide birds with a rich food supply and nutrients for the soil, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). If female cicadas choose to deposit their eggs in a tree, they could harm the young trees. To protect the trees better, the EPA advises covering them with netting or mesh that opens ¼ inch or smaller.
According to the Mount St. Joseph University website Cicada Safari, humans can keep cicadas away by wrapping cheesecloth around the trees. However, as cicadas only feed on the sap of trees and bushes to survive, they won’t harm any blooms or fruit. Cicadas are immune to pesticides. However, they are beneficial to the ecology. According to Cicada Safari, the tunnels of cicadas act as a natural aeration of the soil. Also, the large number of adult cicadas acts as a food bonanza for predators, positively impacting their population.
What Will Georgia Witness?
According to Nancy Hinkle, an entomologist at the University of Georgia, UGA projected that during the 2011 Great Southern Brood, roughly half of Georgia’s counties had at least some population of the periodical cicadas. The majority of them are found in Georgia’s northwest. Hinkle stated that urbanites in the Atlanta metro region are unlikely to encounter the periodic cicadas because of the city’s concrete and urbanization.
They would peak around the early summer vacation. Hinkle also advised people to take their mothers out on Mother’s Day to the north Georgia mountains, as the cicadas would peak during those days and people could watch and listen to them.
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But she mentioned there are some helpful guidelines to abide by if someone is searching for the periodical cicadas this summer. Periodical cicadas, according to Hinkle, favor older, untouched tree-filled places, such as old-growth forests and cemeteries. Individuals searching for large insects should avoid searching near evergreen trees or pine stands, as they prefer deciduous trees, that shed their leaves every fall.