17-year cicadas are coming to Asheville, Western NC soon: What to know about the emergence
Last year, Western North Carolina didn't see much of the infamous double emergence of periodical cicada Broods XIX and XIII. While there is no periodical double emergence this year, the region can still expect to see more cicada visitors than usual.
In 2024, 13-year Brood XIX emerged in 14 states across the Southeast and Midwest, and 17-year Brood XIII emerged in five Midwestern states around the same time, the first co-emergence of the broods in 221 years.
Only Brood XIX emerged in NC, however, and while Buncombe County was technically home to some of the cicadas, they were uncommon overall in WNC. This year, however, the region can expect to see an emergence of Magicicada Brood XIV, which last emerged 17 years ago.
N.C. State entomologist Matt Bertone told the Citizen Times that, while last year's periodical brood XIX was not expected to be commonly seen in the area, and Brood XIII was not found in N.C. at all, this year's Brood XIV will be much more present in the region.
Here's what to know about what WNC residents can expect this year, when the emergence is coming and more.
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Only one brood of periodical cicadas, Brood XIV, will emerge in 2025.
Cicadas have three types of life cycles according to Cicada Mania, an informational website:
Annual: Cicada species with annual life cycles emerge every year.
Periodical: Cicadas species with periodical life cycles emerge together after long periods, such as the Brood XIV cicadas emerging this year in NC and other states. Magicicada periodical cicadas are organized into Broods, which correspond to the series of years in which they will emerge. Only periodical cicadas are organized by Roman-numeral Broods.
Protoperiodical: Cicada species with protoperiodical life cycles might emerge every year, but every so many years they emerge together in large numbers depending on factors like proximity to other species and rainfall accumulations.
Periodical cicadas are a bit different from N.C.'s annual "dog-day" cicada visitors. Most noticeably, unlike our black and green annual cicadas, periodical cicadas are mostly black in color, with amber wings and striking red eyes. While they share this appearance, not all species in any given brood are the same.
Brood XIV is estimated to emerge beginning in May and ending in late June. The emergence will begin when the soil 8 inches underground reaches 64 degrees. Emergences are often triggered by a warm summer rain.
Annual "dog-day" cicadas emerge during the "dog days of summer" between late July and early September.
While different broods of periodical cicadas have different territories, they are all found in eastern and midwestern states. After hatching, cicada larvae bury into the soil, where they live until it's time to emerge. Then, the cicadas migrate to trees and shrubs to spend the remainder of their lives reproducing.
Brood XIV is the second largest brood after XIX, according to the University of Connecticut. They have a 17-year life cycle, and last emerged in 2008. In 2025, they are expected to emerge in the following states:
North Carolina
Georgia
Indiana
Kentucky
Massachusetts
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Virginia
West Virginia
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Iris Seaton is the trending reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Will cicadas emerge in 2025? Brood XIV coming to Asheville, Western NC
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