Have you heard the buzz of double cicadas in your area? The Great Southern nest has begun to appear in the southern regions of the United States, while the Northern Illinois nest has been a little slower, but still on its way. NBC Chicago reports that cicada shells are starting to appear in Illinois, the first sign of the insects’ arrival. Ecologist Jennifer Rydzewski told the network, “When the soil temperature reaches 64 degrees in the 8 inches below ground, periodic cicadas begin to emerge.”
Meanwhile, some South Carolina residents began calling local sheriff’s offices as early as April to ask why they were hearing “siren sounds or loud roaring sounds.” Of course, this sound is the song made by male cicadas to attract mates.
A Reddit user in Missouri shared a photo of cicada nymphs starting to dig their way out from under a plastic pool. In Chicago, residents are organizing a citywide summer art project called Cicada Parade-a, featuring cicada sculptures.
Cicadas have a strange life cycle. They grow underground, but we humans mostly notice them when they appear in the above-ground world. This year has been a special year for these feisty little guys — what UConn cicada expert John Cooley called a “cicada-geddon” in an Associated Press report.
There are annual cicadas that emerge from the ground at different times each year. There are also periodic cicadas, which appear only every 13 or 17 years. These groups are called “nests” and are numbered. Because their schedule is trackable, these periodic cicadas tend to steal all the headlines from their annual cicada companions.
This summer is the year of double hatching. That’s rare. According to ScienceAlert, the last time this happened was in 1803. Jump out of the nest.
Here’s what you need to know before they take over your neighborhood between now and late June, including how to protect your hearing from cicadas and whether climate change will disrupt cicada cycles.
What to expect in 2024
Lair Nineteen
Nest Nineteen, also known as the Great Southern Nest, is the largest nest among the 13-year cicadas in terms of geographical distribution. It was last seen in 2011 in the southeastern United States. Most cicadas have a 17-year cycle, but “Brood XIX” has a 13-year cycle. The other two surviving 13-year-old cubs are expected to return in 2027 and 2028.
The nest is expected to reappear in mid-May and continue into late June. Cicadas burrow to the surface, mate, lay eggs, and then die. In Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Victoria Genia seeks (and listens to) them.
Lair Thirteen
Nest Thirteen is known as the Northern Illinois Nest. Illinois seems to attract cicadas more than any other state. Experts at the University of Connecticut say Lincoln Land “contains 13- and 17-year life cycles for all seven currently recognized species, as well as five separate populations, some of which include discontinuous populations.” Talk from Illinois Big noise in the state.
This is one of the 17-year-old cicada nests. It was last seen in 2007 and should return in mid-May to late June, just like Lair XIX. They are expected to appear in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin and possibly Michigan.
Basic knowledge about cicadas
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, cicadas are about 1 to 1.5 inches long, with a wingspan twice their length. They have black bodies, reddish-brown eyes, and membranous wings with orange veins. The noise that makes them famous are the loud courtship calls of adult males.
The species name is pronounced differently in the United States, where most people say “suh-KEI-duh,” while in the United Kingdom people tend to say “suh-KAA-dah.”
What to do if you encounter a cicada
Live your own life and let others live – they are both temporary and harmless. Cicadas may be noisy, but they don’t bite or sting. Unlike termites, they do not enter your home through open doors or windows like other insects, but they do not enter your home through chewing. In fact, pest control experts say pesticides don’t work on cicadas.
“It’s a waste of (pesticides), and it’s dangerous to the environment just to spray pesticides because you’re afraid of cicadas,” one expert told CNET in 2021.
How to control the sound of cicadas?
The main problem with cicadas is obvious: they make a constant buzzing sound. However, they only last about six weeks, so experts have some ideas on how to prevent the sound from stranding you.
These are not specific treatments for cicadas, but they do work. You can try noise-canceling headphones, a white noise machine, or simple earplugs. You can also try some DIY soundproofing measures, such as weatherproofing foam tape.
Climate change and cicadas
As climate change causes global temperatures to rise, cicadas don’t work according to a calendar, but respond to temperature. So it’s no surprise that scientists believe climate change is also affecting cicadas.
Chris Simon, a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut, has been studying cicadas for many years.
“Warmer winters and early springs can cause cicadas to emerge earlier,” Simon told CNET. “A warming climate also lengthens the growing season in certain areas, so cicadas may be ready to emerge from the ground several years earlier, often four years earlier,” Simon told CNET. Thus turning the 17-year cicada population into temporary 13-year cicadas. If this happens repeatedly, we hypothesize that the 17-year cicadas may become permanent 13-year cicadas.
But Simon told CNET the change won’t reduce cicada numbers, just adjust their schedule. It shouldn’t affect the food chain because “animals that eat them on the ground will see them more often, and animals that eat them underground will still do it,” Simon said.
While climate change may force cicadas to migrate north, that won’t change immediately. Simon points out that periodic cicadas can only move when they are adults, and this only happens for a few weeks every 13 or 17 years. Although periodic cicadas can fly, they tend not to move much or migrate long distances. Man-made asphalt and cement barriers may also prevent cicadas from flying into the Great White North.
How to Help Cicada Researchers
Want to help scientists learn more about periodic cicadas?
“Citizen scientists are critical to filling in the parts of the distribution that we don’t have time to access or the unknown parts that we can verify later,” Simon told CNET.
To help, you can download Cicada Safari for iOS or Android, a free app developed by Simon’s colleague Gene Kritsky. The app requires people to use their phones to take photos of cicadas, allowing geolocation.
“(Kritsky’s) team will verify the photos and record the data and share it with us,” Simon said.
How to protect new small trees from cicadas
While cicadas should not harm large, mature trees, new saplings may be susceptible. Female cicadas prefer to lay their eggs on trees where new leaves are located, puncturing the branches, which can cause the leaves to wither, turn brown, or even break. So if you live in cicada habitat, delay planting any new trees until they are gone, which should be in late June.
If you have new, small trees and are concerned about cicada damage, you may want to loosely wrap their trunks and areas where branches meet branches. You can use cheesecloth, foil tape, release tape, or duct tape. You can also use landscaping netting around smaller trees. CNET has a guide to tree protection for cicadas.
Do people eat cicadas?
In fact, cicadas are edible. Don’t try it if you’re allergic to seafood, though, as cicadas are related to shrimp and lobster.
If you’re resilient and not easily grossed out by unusual foods, there are plenty of easy cicada recipes online. An expert from Johns Hopkins University says they’re “delicious” but admits the “yuck factor” may prevent most of us from trying them.
The good news, though, is that if your dog wolfs down something—and dog owners know that some puppies will eat just about anything—the cicada shouldn’t harm them. Just make sure they don’t choke on too much at once.
