Latest news with #BroodX
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Cicadas attract pests, nearly invisible mites that bite and can cause a rash. What to know
The latest 17-year brood of cicadas is invading, bringing millions if not billions of the noisy insects to Cincinnati and southwest Ohio. While cicadas may be annoying — they're loud, they leave their nymph shells everywhere after molting and they may upset your pet's stomach if your dog gorges on them — the insects are harmless, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. They're even beneficial: They're a valuable food source for native wildlife, per ODNR, and the nymphs emerging from underground can help your lawn, according to The Nature Conservancy. However, cicadas can attract a pest, the oak leaf itch mite. And as the name suggests, these mites can cause an irritating rash in humans. Here's what to know. According to WebMD, these mites are nearly invisible to the naked eye, being about 0.2 mm long. They commonly feed on larvae of an oak gall midge, a type of fly, that lives on pin oak leaves. Starting in late July, these mites drop from the tree or are blown on the wind, landing on animals and humans. Their bites can cause an itchy rash of small red bumps that can be painful to scratch. The rashes can be intense. They're also known to feed on cicada eggs, per WebMD, and were linked to a 2007 outbreak of rashes in Chicago, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health, where the mites were feeding on 17-year cicada eggs. In 2021, the University of Maryland Extension found it likely that Brood X cicada eggs were likely the mite's food source for an outbreak of rashes in the Washington D.C. area, as reported by the Washington Post. If you develop a rash, an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion as well as antihistamines may help with the itch, per WebMD. Don't scratch; that may cause a bacterial infection. Controlling the mites on the trees is difficult, according to the PennState Extension. Sprays aren't effective because the mites are protected and hidden in leaf folds or galls. The use of insect repellent containing DEET has shown mixed results. "People can best protect themselves by limiting their time from under infested trees and by immediately removing and laundering clothing and then showering," PennState Extension writes. After 17 years underground, Brood XIV is emerging, and it will bring millions if not billions of the noisy insects to Southwest Ohio and a dozen other states this spring. 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 the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. 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. 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 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. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cicadas invading Ohio in 2025 bring an itchy pest. Here's what to know
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
'Greater Eastern Brood' cicadas are making their return to Tennessee. Why they're considered 'near threatened'
It's around that time of year, when the air - and ground - is filled with the sights and sounds of millions of buzzing cicadas. In 2025, Tennessee will see the emergence of Brood XIV, a 17-year periodical cicada. The last time this brood emerged was in 2008. According to Cicada Mania, the loud guests will most likely be spotted north of Nashville, north-west of Chattanooga and in random places across East Tennessee. Counties most likely to spot cicadas include: Bledsoe, Blount, Campbell, Carter, Cheatham, Claiborne, Cocke, Coffee, Cumberland, Davidson, Grainger, Grundy, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Marion, Putnam, Roane, Robertson, Rutherford, Sevier, Sumner, Unicoi, and Williamson. Here's what to know about this year's cicadas as they begin to emerge from their underground burrows. The three 17 year species of cicadas — Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada cassini and Magicicada septendecula —are all considered 'near threatened' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, meaning the species does not currently meet the criteria for critically endangered, endangered, or vulnerable status, but it is close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category. All three species were listed as near threatened in 1996, 12 years before their last emergence. Brood XIV is one of the largest 17-year periodical cicada broods. According to the University of Connecticut, it is the second largest after Brood XIX and is larger than Brood X, earning it the nickname "Greater Eastern Brood." Brood XIV emerges eight years after Brood VI, four years after Brood X, and four years before Brood I. According to Cicada Mania, millions of Brood XIV cicadas will emerge in the spring of 2025, and will most likely begin appearing in May across 13 states, including Tennessee. These cicadas typically emerge when the soil, 8 inches below the surface, reaches around 64 degrees. Above-ground temperatures in the 70s to 80s help warm the soil to this point. Often, a warm rain can trigger their emergence, wrote Cicada Mania. Cicadas will stick around throughout the spring and into the summer months. They are likely to leave by late June 2025. In 2025, cicadas will primarily emerge in states located in the eastern half of the country. States welcoming the noisy visitors include: Georgia Indiana Kentucky Massachusetts Maryland North Carolina New Jersey New York Ohio Pennsylvania Tennessee Virginia West Virginia Tennessee won't see the next periodical emergence of cicadas until 2028, when the 13-year cycle Brood XXIII cicadas return. According to Cicada Mania, they will most likely be seen throughout West Tennessee. Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@ or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: 2025 cicada brood emerging in Tennessee is considered ear threatened
USA Today
03-05-2025
- Science
- USA Today
Cicada map 2025: Here's where Brood XIV has already been spotted
Cicada map 2025: Here's where Brood XIV has already been spotted The cicadas are back – well, some of them. Brood XIV has begun to emerge in some eastern U.S. states. The brood emerges every 17 years, and is considered the second largest periodical cicada brood, according to the University of Connecticut. Researchers use past emergences to predict where and when periodical cicadas will appear again, said Gene Kritsky, a professor at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati and founder of the Cicada Safari app, which is used to track the emergence of cicadas. The group gathers data on the insects and creates a map of where they've been spotted. In this brood's case, the group last emerged in 2008. This year, they are slated to appear in states such as North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Here's what you need to know about Brood XIV and where they've been spotted so far. Where have cicadas started to emerge? So far, most of the cicadas added to this year's Cicada Safari map are in western North Carolina and parts of Tennessee. As of May 2, cicadas have been photographed in the following areas: Asheville-area, North Carolina - 140 sightings South of Knoxville, Tennessee - 25 sightings Nashville-area, Tennessee - 17 sightings Sporadic sightings were also reported in Georgia and southwestern Ohio. To keep track of cicada sightings, download the Cicada Safari mobile app, visit or There may be stragglers: Not all cicadas are Brood XIV Known for the buzzing sound they make, cicadas are part of the same order as insects such as stink bugs, bed bugs, aphids and cicada families. Brood XIV only occurs in the eastern half of the U.S., Kritsky said. Both Kritsky and researchers at the University of Connecticut run mapping programs for cicadas, and because there are so many broods of cicadas, knowing which group they belong to can be difficult, experts say. Brood XIV occurs eight years after Brood VI, four years after Brood X, four years before Brood I, and so on. Because of the timing of it all, there may be 'stragglers,' or cicadas from other groups, the University of Connecticut said. 'From a practical perspective, stragglers from any of these broods complicate mapping efforts, because populations may be difficult to assign to a brood,' wrote the researchers. 'There will be substantial numbers of stragglers in 2025, and if they are mistaken for Brood XIV emergences, these mistaken records will create the impression that Brood XIV has grown suddenly and substantially larger, when no such thing is true.' Researchers said this year, Brood XIV emergences will be dense and widespread, while stragglers will be 'more patchy and scattered.' Brood XIV: See the 2025 cicada map Based on past behaviors, the group is likely making its appearance in Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, and in nine southern counties in Indiana, said Gene Kritsky, founder of Cicada Safari, a group that gathers data on the insects. This map shows roughly where Brood XIV is expected to make an appearance this spring, however, experts say it can be tricky to know exactly which counties will have confirmed sightings. Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Cicada brood 2025: Does the insect emergence mean a noisy Columbus summer?
Columbus' upcoming spring will be relatively quiet as its cicadas remain firmly underground. Southwest Ohio will have no such luck. Cicadas from Brood XIV have been living underground for 17 years, waiting to climb out of the earth and begin mating. They will have their chance this spring when they are set to emerge throughout southwest Ohio, filling the air with buzzing noises and littering nature with discarded cicada shells. Here is what you need to know about the bugs. Cicadas will emerge in over a dozen southwest Ohio counties in area that goes as far east as Washington County and as far north as Greene County, Elizabeth Christopher, a program administrator at the Ohio Division of Forestry, said. Brood XIV will also emerge as far south as Georgia and as far north as Massachusetts, she said. Cicadas do not travel very far, so it is unlikely that a cicada from southwest Ohio would find its way to Columbus. The nearest Brood XIV county is Greene County, around 60 miles away. Franklin County's cicada brood, Brood X, last emerged in 2021. That means they will not be seen again until 2038. Periodical cicadas begin their life cycles as nymphs on trees, where they feed on sap before dropping to the ground. Then, they dig into the ground and begin feeding on sap from plant roots, according to the National Museum of Natural History. "They're just kind of chilling down there," Christopher said. They keep living underground for 13 or 17 years, depending on the brood. When it is time for them to emerge, they wait until the ground warms and then come out to mate. The male cicadas then vibrate their bodies to make the bugs' iconic chirping or buzzing noise to attract a mate. Once they mate, the female lays her eggs on trees. The adult cicadas, which only live for three or four weeks after emerging from the ground, die shortly after. The cicadas come out all at once as a means of predator satiation, an adaptation where a prey species' population density increases drastically so that predators can't possibly eat them all, according to Everyday Concepts. Cicadas are not dangerous to pets or people. They do not bite or sting, according to Christopher. "There's no reason to be afraid of them," she said. They can sometimes mildly damage trees with their eggs, but most plants can survive it, according to the Texas Tree Foundation. Breaking and Trending News Reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at NHart@ and at @NathanRHart on X and at on Bluesky. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Cicada brood 2025: Does the insect emergence impact Columbus?
Washington Post
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
A brood of cicadas that last screeched under George W. Bush returns this spring
This spring, millions of noisy, red-eyed cicadas from Brood XIV will blanket parts of the United States for the first time since 2008, when George W. Bush was in the White House and Donald Trump was hosting 'The Apprentice.' The bugs come in two varieties, annual and periodical. This year's cicadas are members of the second largest periodical group after Brood XIX, which surfaced last year in parts of the American Midwest and South. Brood XIV, also known as the Great(er) Eastern Brood, is larger than Brood X, the group that overtook the D.C. region in 2021.
