Where To Find Them And What To Expect

Billions of Cicadas to Emerge This Spring

Where to Find Them and What to Expect

April 29, 2024 12:40 PM EDT

CBS News

Trillions of periodical cicadas will emerge from the ground this spring in a rare phenomenon that happens only once every 13 or 17 years. Two different broods of cicadas, one that lives on a 13-year cycle (Brood XIII) and one that lives on a 17-year cycle (Brood XIX), will emerge this spring across more than a dozen states in the eastern United States.

Naturalists have already spotted the first arrivals of Brood XIII cicadas in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Brood XIX cicadas are expected to emerge in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The cicadas will emerge from the ground in vast numbers, and their loud, buzzing song will be impossible to ignore. They will spend the next few weeks mating and laying eggs, and then they will die. The entire process will take about six weeks.

Cicadas are not harmful to humans or animals, but they can be a nuisance. Their loud noise can be disruptive, and their shed skins can be messy. However, cicadas are also an important part of the ecosystem. They help to aerate the soil and provide food for birds and other animals.

If you're lucky enough to witness this amazing natural phenomenon, be sure to enjoy it. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience.