Cincinnati, cicadas are here. Here's where the 17-year brood is invading. See the map

Yahoo

15-05-2025

Cincinnati, did you prepare for the invasion? The cicadas are here.
After 17 years underground, Brood XIV is emerging, and will bring millions if not billions of the noisy insects to Southwest Ohio and a dozen other states this spring. Several people from the Greater Cincinnati area have posted photos to social media showing adult cicadas from Brood XIV resting on plants after molting, with their nymph shells nearby.
"We encourage everyone to take this unique opportunity to appreciate and learn more about these fascinating native forest insects and their value in naturally functioning ecosystems," said Tom Macy, forest health program manager for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Forestry.
So how long will they stick around? And where in Ohio can you find them? Here's what to know.
Yes. Brood XIV is one of 15 recognized broods of periodical cicadas that emerge every 13 or 17 years, and one of four that appear in the Buckeye State, according to ODNR. They emerge when the soil temperature reaches 64 degrees, which typically happens in the second half of May.
Annual cicadas emerge worldwide each year, but periodical cicadas are found only in eastern North America. They live underground as nymphs for either 13 or 17 years before emerging above ground in massive numbers. Different populations of periodical cicadas are called 'broods' and are numbered with Roman numerals.
Cicada Safari, a group that tracks the emergence of cicadas based on user submissions, reports nearly 40 cicada sightings in the Cincinnati area so far. Several posts on Facebook and Instagram show also cicadas emerging, with some mentioning Loveland, northeast of Cincinnati, specifically. Here's a sampling:
They are active for three to four weeks as they focus on mating and reproduction, per ODNR. Male periodical cicadas produce a deafening chorus of calls to attract females. Once mated, female cicadas deposit their eggs into the branches of trees and shrubs.
Brood XIV cicadas will stretch from northern Georgia to Massachusetts. In Ohio, they will emerge in a more than dozen counties, per ODNR, mostly in Southwest Ohio:
Adams
Brown
Butler
Champaign
Clermont
Clinton
Gallia
Greene
Hamilton
Highland
Jackson
Lawrence
Pike
Ross
Scioto
Warren
Washington
Some of the edge counties will not see as heavy an emergence as others.
The cicadas that emerge every 13 or 17 years are different from the ones seen every summer, and it's not just the amount of time.
Dr. Gene Kritsky with Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati and founder of Cicada Safari, told WKRN in Nashville that periodical cicadas emerge in May or June, while annual cicadas show up later, in late June and July, and through the rest of summer.
The two types also look different from each other. Periodical cicadas have black bodies with red eyes and red-orange wings and can be anywhere from three-quarters of an inch to an inch and one-quarter in length. Annual cicadas have dark green to black bodies with green-veined wings and black eyes and are larger. They can grow to an inch and one-third in length.
While swarms of noisy insects may be unsettling for some, cicadas are harmless to people and pets, according to ODNR. They are also a valuable food source for native wildlife, including birds, mammals and fish.
Egg-laying by female cicadas can cause 'flagging' on trees and shrubs (death of branch tips, from the egg-laying site to the end of the branch), but there is little to no impact on established, otherwise healthy plants, ODNR states.
Small or newly planted trees and shrubs are more vulnerable to damage and can be protected by covering them with fine netting for the few weeks that adult cicadas are active. Using pesticides on cicadas is not warranted or recommended.
How $20 can save your trees from cicadas
Cicadas will dig holes and tunnel through your yard, but this helps the soil since those tunnels aerate your yard, encouraging root growth for the next season.
"While your yard may appear to be a mess from all the holes and mud chimneys, just run a rake over your turf and add some grass seed after the cicadas are gone, and your yard will be as good as new in no time," according to The Nature Conservancy.
States expecting cicadas this year include Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, Gene Kritsky, founder of Cicada Safari, a group that crowdsources and reviews data on cicadas, told USA TODAY.
Kentucky and Tennessee probably will get the most cicadas this year, said John Cooley, an ecology and biology associate professor in residence at the University of Connecticut. There will also be large numbers in Georgia, the Carolinas and Pennsylvania, he said.
Any animal that can eat insects will eat cicadas, according to the Purdue University Extension. Those include fish, bears, birds, raccoons and even other insects, like parasitic wasps.
They're also safe for your dog to eat, to a point.
According to the American Kennel Club, a dog that eats the occasional cicada should be fine. However, dogs that gorge on cicadas will find their exoskeletons difficult to digest, resulting in an upset stomach, abdominal pain, vomiting and bloody diarrhea. Some dogs that overconsume cicadas may require a trip to the vet for IV fluids, or pain and anti-nausea medications.
Cicadas, like locusts, show up suddenly and in large numbers, and are sometimes called "locusts," according to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
However, cicadas are not locusts.
Locusts are grasshoppers, and the two species are not closely related, according to the Xerces Society. Locusts also swarm for different reasons.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cicadas 2025: Ohio, the invasion is here. See the map, social reaction