17-year brood of cicadas set to emerge in Middle Tennessee
Brood XIV, which Middle Tennesseans will start to see between late April and early May, last emerged in 2008.
'[The cicadas getting ready to emerge] are found approximately eight inches deep. When the temperature there reaches like 64 degrees Fahrenheit and when there is a good rain, is when we'll start seeing them emerging,' Dr. Midhula Gireesh, an assistant professor & extension entomologist with the University of Tennessee, told News 2.
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When they emerge, they will shed their exoskeletons within a few hours. That's when the loud singing they're known for starts — and that sound is tied to mating.'All this can be around like four weeks to six weeks maximum,' Gireesh said. 'Once the egg-laying process is done, the adults die off.'
Cicadas lay their eggs in the new growth of trees, specifically younger ones. However, local horticulturists say not to worry too much.'You might see a little bit of die back, browning, whatever — but it's not going to kill a whole tree,' Austin Lohin, a horticulturist with Bates Nursery and Garden Center, said. 'Honestly, even a small tree rarely ever dies because of cicada damage.'
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Last year's brood brought about one million cicadas per acre. While it's unclear exactly how many will emerge this year, the brood will be in about a dozen other states.
Cicadas are relatively harmless — at least to humans and pets. They don't bite or sting and they can't transmit disease.
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