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Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Cicada 'rolling emergence' set to begin buzzing in days as temperatures warm in South, Northeast
CINCINNATI, Ohio – The arrival of warm spring temperatures also means the arrival of cicadas, which are expected to start filling the air with their iconic buzzing sounds as soon as next week in some parts of the U.s. The cicadas emerging this year are part of Brood XIV, a cohort of 17-year periodical cicadas scattered throughout parts of the Southeast and Northeast, according to Gene Kritsky, Professor Emeritus of Biology at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati and founder of Having been buried for 17 years, the cicadas of Brood XIV will start digging their way up to the surface when the soil temperature rises to 64-65 degrees. This means that some Americans may begin to see cicadas starting next week, Kritsky said. From there, the insects will emerge in a northward direction, as spring progresses and warm temperatures reach those areas the following weeks. "It's like this rolling emergence that occurs," Kristky said. He noted that the insects in any given area do not emerge in one day. Rather, they take about two weeks to rise to the surface. Here is the timeline of when the cicadas are expected to emerge: Northern Georgia - Third week of April. Tennessee, North Carolina - Fourth week of April. Kentucky - First week of May. Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania - Second week of May. Massachusetts - Late May. Once out of the ground, the male cicadas of Brood XIV will take up shop in nearby trees and produce their iconic loud buzzing sounds to attract females. "The trees will just be screaming with all these males singing," Kritsky said to FOX Weather. "I have measured the intensity – the highest I've ever measured is 102 decibels. Commonly, you'll see them coming in at 90 decibels. That's louder than the planes landing at Dulles." After mating, the female cicadas lay their eggs in the trees. As the adults die off, the eggs hatch and cicada nymphs are born. The nymphs, the next generation of Brood XIV, then drop to the ground and burrow their way into the soil, where they will feed off of the roots of trees and grass for the next 17 years. Brood XIV is one of 15 known cicada broods, Kritsky said. He noted that 12 of the broods follow a 17-year cycle, whereas three follow the 13-year cycle. However, there are certain factors that can impact the cycles of cicada broods. One of which involves the removal of forests, as the cicadas need trees to survive – be it as part of their mating ritual or as their food source while they are underground. "As we remove our forests, we are also removing cicadas," Kritsky said, noting that the cicada distribution in the U.S. is patchy due to land use and deforestation. This can also apply to Mother Nature having a hand in removing trees. For example, historic flooding caused by Helene in western North Carolina, where cicadas from Brood XIV are supposed to emerge this year, uprooted countless trees and wiped out large areas of forest last fall. How To Watch Fox Weather Whether the cicada emergence in the Tarheel State will be affected is yet to be seen. "In the past, if the tree hasn't been totally uprooted, that means the cicadas will very likely be fine," Kritsky said. "But if the tree has been blown over, uprooted, that's going to destroy a lot of cicadas." To help record the distribution of the cicadas, Kritsky said people can note their observations in the free app Cicada Safari. The information, along with cicada photos, people provide will help with research about article source: Cicada 'rolling emergence' set to begin buzzing in days as temperatures warm in South, Northeast
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Billions of buzzing cicadas will emerge across multiple states this spring
As winter melts away, spring begins to blossom – and buzz with the sound of cicadas. This year, the cohort of cicadas known as "Brood XIV" will emerge from the ground and, much like many other animals during spring, begin looking for a mate. In fact, the buzzing sound cicadas are known for is actually part of this courtship ritual, as the males produce the noise to attract females. While this cicada phenomenon occurs every year, for Brood XIV and many other cicadas, it's a small part of multiyear, multigenerational cycles that are connected to geography, the seasons and the weather. The cicadas of Brood XIV emerge from the ground every 17 years. This means that the last time they saw the Sun, President George W. Bush was nearing the end of his presidency and Apple was about to launch the App Store. When exactly they will begin reaching the surface will depend on their location and the weather they will experience, according to Gene Kritsky, Professor Emeritus of Biology at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati and founder of In terms of weather, Kritsky said the insects emerge after the soil temperature reaches between 64 and 65 degrees and after rain has soaked the ground. What's The Difference Between Annual And Periodical Cicadas? When these conditions are met depends largely on where the cicadas are located. Brood XIV – which includes fellow 17-year-cycle species Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada cassini and Magicicada septendecula – are scattered between the South and the Northeast. Being so spread out geographically leads to variations in the timing of their emergence. The cicadas will start emerging around the third week of April in northern Georgia, where warm weather conditions will likely hit first, according to Kritsky. After Georgia, and if this spring should be similar to last year's, Kritsky said that Brood XIV cicadas in other states will emerge in the following roughly south-to-north sequence: Tennessee - Fourth week of April. Kentucky - First week of May. Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania - Second week of May. Massachusetts - Late May. Kritsky said that, once the cicadas of an area begin to emerge, they will take two full weeks to come out of the ground. The insects will then be above ground and living in trees for six weeks. After about five days of being above ground, the males will start producing their buzzing sounds. As more cicadas emerge, that buzzing sound will grow and become loud for about two weeks. How To Watch Fox Weather "The trees will just be screaming with all these males singing," Kritsky said. "I have measured the intensity – the highest I've ever measured is 102 decibels. Commonly, you'll see them coming in at 90 decibels. That's louder than the planes landing at Dulles." Once the male cicadas find their mates, the females will lay their eggs in the trees. After that, all the adult cicadas begin to die. So, the buzzing sound will diminish about five weeks after the initial emergence. As the eggs hatch and cicada nymphs are born, the nymphs of Brood XIV will drop to the ground, burrow their way into the soil, and then begin their 17-year cycle by feeding off of the roots of grass and trees, according to article source: Billions of buzzing cicadas will emerge across multiple states this spring
