Filling out this form will help us track the Brood V cicada emergence. Come back to contribute whenever you have new information! Posting about cicadas on social media? Use #broodv and #cicadas2016! 
 
 The 17-year periodical cicadas include three similar species that emerge at once: 
 
 
 
 Cicadas are closely related to leaf-hoppers, tree-hoppers and other plant-sucking bugs. Cicadas are not locusts. Locusts are grasshoppers. 
 
 
 
 What is the difference between this cicada and the ones we see every year? 
 
 There are also cicadas that emerge mid-summer each year, known as the annual cicadas. Annual cicadas are greenish and black and make a ch-ch-ch-ch sound. They are also known as the dog-day cicadas. The 17-year cicada is black and orange and makes a continuous buzzing sound. 
 
 
 
 When did we last see periodical cicadas? 
 
 Periodical cicadas emerged in Eastern Ohio in 1999, 1982, 1965, 1948 and back in 17-year increments. 
 
 
 
 Where have they been? 
 
 The periodical cicadas we’ll see this year started life as eggs in 1999. After hatching, they have spent the past 17 years underground sucking juices from tree roots in the nymph stage of their life. 
 
 
 
 What will the cicadas be doing? 
 
 After emerging, the cicada nymphs will shed their juvenile skin and crawl out as winged adults. They will be a creamy color at first. After a few days, they will darken and the males will begin calling to the females. Over the next couple of weeks, they will mate and feed on some plant juices. Females will lay hundreds of eggs in the twigs of trees. 
 
 
 
 Overall, there will be a lot of bugs and a lot of noise. 
 
 
 
 How long will the cicadas be here? 
 
 You can expect to find the 17-year periodical cicadas for 3-5 weeks after their emergence. 
 
 
 
 Are cicadas harmful? 
 
 Cicadas do not bite or sting. They are not poisonous or toxic. You can expect pets and animals to feed on them. Cicadas will cause “flagging” on the ends of tree branches, a side affect of egg-laying. This is where the ends of the tree branches brown, die and fall off. This is not harmful to mature trees and may even be beneficial. Newly planted or very young trees may be damaged by cicada egg-laying. 
 
 
 
 Cicadas do make a startling vibration when handled. 
 
 
 
 Why do we only see them every 17 years? 
 
 Scientists are very interested in why we only see them every 17 years. The food source of the cicada nymphs is plant sap and is not very rich. It takes a long time to grow a mature insect on plant sap especially when plants are dormant for part of the year. Periodical cicadas may have evolved such a long time between emergences to surprise would-be predators. While opportunistic predators like crows or raccoons will feed heartily on cicadas, the emergence will be unexpected for them, allowing more cicadas to survive. 
 
 
 
 What should you do about the cicadas? 
 
 Enjoy and marvel at them! Attend a Cleveland Metroparks program to learn more about them. To see them in large numbers, find areas with older trees and unpaved ground. Populations will be patchy. As they are harmless and even beneficial, we strongly recommend against using any pesticides or poisons to control them. If you have some newly planted trees that you’d like to protect, try removing any cicadas by hand or wrapping the brances in cheese cloth. 
 
 Cicada Events 
 
 The Novice Naturalist June 25 at 10 - 11:30 a.m. North Chagrin Reservation The 17-year cicada is back! Let’s take a close look at this amazing creature in the order homoptera. Bring your sketch book as we do... View Event > 
 
 
 
 Downloads ||||| Next month, as temperatures warm, billions of cicadas will begin to emerge from the ground as their internal clocks hit the 17-year mark. Soon, their numbers will swell in locations in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia and West Virginia, making a racket as the males call for the females. 
 
 These red-eyed bugs began their lives in 1999, spent over a decade and a half underground, and soon will complete their life cycles as they crawl aboveground, mate, and then die after a month or a month and a half. The cicadas in this 17-year group are called Brood V, and are actually comprised of three different species. Other cicada species follow a 13-year cycle, or an annual one. 
 
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 In Ohio, the milestone in the bugs’ lives is even cause for celebration among humans— gift shops will sell a commemorative t-shirt. "It's going to be a wild ride," Wendy Weirich, who directs outdoor education for Cleveland Metroparks in Ohio, told the Plain Dealer. "It's like Rip Van Winkle for insects.” 
 
 Cleveland Metroparks— which will host a number of special cicada events, including one called “Cicada Invasion”— summed up what to expect from the brood’s emergence this way: “Overall, there will be a lot of bugs and a lot of noise.” 
 
 In fact, the bugs will be so numerous that their density can hit 1.5 million critters per acre. 
 
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 The black and orange bugs won’t emerge this year until the soil hits 64 degrees. After the females lay their eggs this season, nymphs that hatch from them eventually make their way underground— where, like their parents, they will stay for another 17 years. ||||| CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The last time Northeast Ohio was overrun by periodical cicadas, Bill Clinton was president, a gallon of gasoline cost about $1.14, and the Cleveland Browns had just returned to the NFL after a four-year absence, selecting quarterback Tim Couch with their first draft pick. 
 
 Seventeen years later, beginning next month, multitudes of cicada nymphs that have been growing underground since 1999 are going to crawl out of the earth, returning in astounding numbers of up to 1.5 million per acre, and producing a clamor akin to a chorus of chain saws. 
 
 This once-every-17-years phenomenon is cause for excitement among naturalists and in the Metroparks, where cicada walks, talks and a festival are scheduled, and where some of the greatest concentrations of the buzzing bugs are expected to occur. 
 
 Visitors will even be able to mark the event with a commemorative cicada T-shirt for sale in the metroparks nature center gift shops. 
 
 "It's going to be a wild ride," said Wendy Weirich, director of Outdoor Experiences for the Cleveland Metroparks. "It's like Rip Van Winkle for insects." 
 
 For 17 years, the cicada nymphs have been living underground. They began as the size of ants, feeding on sap sucked from tree roots, and have slowly been growing in the deep earth until they reached adulthood. 
 
 Somehow - possibly via an internal molecular clock, entomologists aren't sure how - the cicada nymphs determine that 17 years time has elapsed, which causes them to start migrating toward the surface. Once the nighttime soil temperature reaches 64 degrees, eight inches deep for four consecutive days they begin to emerge. 
 
 After the nymphs climb into the trees for shelter and shed their exoskeletons, the adult cicadas gradually acquire a shiny black shell with bright orange veins and red eyes. 
 
 "There's lots of cool biology elsewhere in the world, but this is something happening here that is really remarkable and unique to this region," said entomologist Gavin Svenson, the curator and head of Invertebrate Zoology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. 
 
 "These insects are older than 17-year-old kids that have been developing for all of this time underground, and are going to be emerging at the same time." 
 
 As this periodical event unfolds, the Metroparks naturalists will rely on public sightings to determine where the largest emergences are happening, which they will use to update their maps and report back to the public, Weirich said. 
 
 The so-called Brood V emergence of periodical cicadas actually will consist of three species that look alike, but only can be differentiated by their sounds. All of the emergences will be in the Eastern U.S., beginning in April in the warm southern states and moving gradually northward into June. ||||| 
 
 A cicada crawls from its shell at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary near Kempton, Pa., on June 5, 1996, after emerging from a 17-year, underground existence. (Bill Uhrich/Reading (Pa.) Eagle) 
 
 The eighth biblical plague that tortured Egypt was a plague of locusts. 
 
 As described in Exodus 10:5, “And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field.” 
 
 Flip the aforementioned “they” from locusts to cicadas, and that’s actually a pretty apt description of what residents in some parts of Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia will experience next month when the soil warms to 64 degrees and billions of cicadas rise from the ground to mate. Fortunately, cicadas can’t chew so they don’t devour our plants and trees. If they manage to avoid predators long enough they suck up plant sap but not enough to any real damage. 
 
 This particular group of insects has a 17-year-life cycle that begins underground and culminates in the air as they swell and swarm and scream and sing, issuing deafening cries as the males desperately seek mates. This current 17-year-cycle, which began in 1999, begins to end next month, reports Cicada Mania. 
 
 As billions of insects emerge, they can reach a density of 1.5 million cicadas an acre in some areas. 
 
 The insects have hard, sleek shells topped with two bulb-like, red eyes. On average, they’re a little over 1.5 inches in length and, don’t worry, they don’t bite or sting, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. 
 
 The adults live above ground for four to six weeks, and the only thing that interests them is mating and laying eggs (much like salmon during the famed salmon run). 
 
 But there’s the noise. 
 
 Oh, the noise. 
 
 Anyone who has experienced a swarm likely remembers the noise. 
 
 As David Snyder wrote in The Washington Post in 2004, “Words seem inadequate to describe that vaguely menacing hum-whistle that seems to be everywhere but emanates from no single place in particular.” 
 
 “It feels like an alien spaceship coming in,” Arlington resident Gene Miller told Snyder. 
 
 A cacophony of sound can be heard throughout Prince William, Va., as swarms of Brood II cicadas emerge from their 17-year hibernation. (Whitney Shefte/The Washington Post) 
 
 That sound, the melodic, almost frightening buzzing, wakes with the sun in the early morning and continues late into the night. The droning is a mating cry sung by males, as they try to find willing females before their 17-year-old lives conclude. 
 
 “After the male and female cicada have mated, the female will lay fertilized eggs in slits cut with her ovipositor on small live twigs,” entomologist Russ Horton told The Post in 2013. “It takes roughly six weeks for the eggs to hatch and the nymphs to emerge.” 
 
 When they do, according to Ohio State University professor of entomology David Shetlar the nymphs then fall from the trees and burrow anywhere from six to 18 inches in the ground, where they feed on juices from plant roots for 13 or 17 years, depending on what species they are. 
 
 Females can lay up to 400 eggs each, across 4o to 50 sites. 
 
 “But wait, I saw cicadas a few years ago!” you might be thinking. “I remember that noise!” 
 
 That’s not incorrect. 
 
 There are several “broods” of cicadas, which is based on which cycle they’re part of. Most of these broods are comprised of different species of cicada, and different broods emerge and swarm around different parts to the country (in different years). 
 
 These broods have been tracked since the 1800s, according to the USDA’s 1907 book “The Periodical Cicada” by C.L. Marlatt. 
 
 On top of that, there are several types of cicada life cycles. Some have 13-year life spans, and some are even annual, according to Auburn University’s Department of Entomology. 
 
 In fact, Brood II, which consists of cicadas on a 17-year cycle, overtook Washington in 2013, The Post reported. 
 
 D.C. resident Jacques Tiziou has a taste for cicadas. He collects, prepares and eats the young, winged-insects for brunch. (Video from 2004) (Pierre Kattar/The Washington Post) 
 
 The one emerging in May is Brood V, which includes Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada cassini and Magicicada septendecula, the Star Beacon reported. 
 
 According to the USDA, Brood V comprises the largest swarms that are seen in either Ohio or West Virginia, and some Ohioans are taking advantage of the occasion. 
 
 Cleveland Metroparks, in particular, is hosting educational events centered on the cicadas. 
 
 “It’s going to be a wild ride,” said Wendy Weirich, director of Outdoor Experiences for the Cleveland Metroparks, told the Plain Dealer. “It’s like Rip Van Winkle for insects.” ||||| Brood V cicadas will emerge in parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland in 2016. 
 
 2016 is the year that Brood V of the periodical 17-year cicadas will return to much of eastern Ohio as well as some nearby states. 
 
 If you’re a resident of the eastern United States, consider yourself lucky. It’s the only part of the country where periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) emerge. Actually, periodic cicadas are native to North America and don’t exist anywhere else in the world. 
 
 How many broods of cicadas are there? 
 
 There are at least 13 broods of 17-year cicadas and at least five broods of 13-year cicadas, according to Penn State University Extension. 
 
 17-year cicada broods are named by Roman numerals I through XVII, one number for each of the possible years that cicadas can emerge. 13-year cicada broods are designated by Roman numerals XXVIII through XXX. 
 
 Periodical cicadas have either a 17-year or a 13-year life cycle. Generally, the 17-year cicadas appear in the northern part of the eastern U.S., which the 13-year cicadas occur in the southern part of the eastern U.S. There are some overlapping areas, though. 
 
 There are six species of cicadas: three northern and three southern species. 
 
 When and where will Brood V cicadas appear? 
 
 Brood V cicadas are expected to emerge between May and June. Usually, they will emerge when the soil temperature is 64 degrees F. 
 
 Brood V will emerge in parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland. 
 
 Are cicadas locusts? 
 
 Some people may call periodical cicadas “17-year locusts,” but they’re not locusts. Ohio State University Extension explains that cicadas are related to leafhoppers and spittlebugs, but not locusts, which are grasshoppers. 
 
 What’s the life cycle of a periodical cicada? 
 
 Ohio State University Extension explains that periodical cicadas emerge from underground as adults. Once they emerge, they only live between two and four weeks. During that time, both males and females will feed a little on young, tender twigs. Then, males will “sing” to females. 
 
 About 10 days after the female cicadas molt, they will mate and lay eggs. Each female cicada has a structure attached to her abdomen called ovipositor, which is used to cut slits in tree branches. Eggs are usually laid in twigs that are ¼ inch to ½ inch in diameter. Female cicadas lay between 20 and 28 eggs in each of the pockets they create, and they lay as many as 400 to 600 eggs in their lifetimes. 
 
 Female cicadas will lay their eggs in about 270 different tree species and woody shrubs, but they don’t lay eggs in coniferous trees, according to Ohio State University Extension. These trees and plants range from hickory and maple trees to Rose of Sharon and black-eyed Susans. 
 
 Six to 10 weeks after eggs are laid, cicada nymphs emerge and drop onto the ground. The nymphs are white and resemble ants. They burrow 6 to 18 inches below the soil’s surface and feed on plant and tree roots, which doesn’t cause much damage to trees. The nymphs then feed for 17 years, usually residing 1 foot to 8 feet underground. During this time, they go through five nymphal instars, according to Ohio State University Extension. 
 
 17 years later, the nymphs have become adults and they will emerge, and the life cycle starts again. 
 
 How do cicadas emerge? 
 
 Cicadas emerge at night. They climb up out of the soil to trees and plants, leaving a half-inch hole. Then, the cicadas shed their exoskeletons, which can be found attached to trees. 
 
 What do adult cicadas look like? 
 
 Ohio State University Extension says that adult cicadas are about 1 ½ inches long. They have clear wings with orange veins. 
 
 Periodical cicadas are not the same as annual, or “dog day,” cicadas, which emerge in July and August. Annual cicadas are larger than periodical cicadas and are brown and green. They have black markings and a white-colored bloom. 
 
 Do cicadas make sound? 
 
 Adult male cicadas “sing” with vibrating membranes that are on the underside of their first abdominal segment. Females are silent. 
 
 Ohio State University Extension says that male cicadas will squawk and make a loud buzzing noise. 
 
 Do cicadas cause damage to trees? 
 
 About 10 days after the cicadas emerge, female cicadas lay their eggs in tree branches. “Flagging” may occur in twigs where eggs have been laid. Flagging is when twigs split, wither and then die, Ohio State University Extension explains. 
 
 West Virginia University Extension recommends that homeowners wait to plant new trees until after cicadas are gone. If you’ve already planted trees, you can drape cheesecloth or insect netting over the trees, specifically around the trunk and beneath the lower branches. 
 
 In addition, after eggs are laid, you can prune out and destroy twigs, which will decrease the number of nymphs entering the soil to feed on plant roots. 
 
 Chemical control of periodical cicadas is not recommended per Ohio State University Extension. 
 
 Do cicadas harm humans and pets? 
 
 Cicadas do not bite or sting humans. They have piercing, sucking mouth parts that are used for feeding, but that’s it. 
 
 Dogs and cats may eat cicadas, but they will not harm them. If too many are consumed, pets may become constipated, or they may regurgitate the cicadas. 
 
 Are there any predators of cicadas? 
 
 Underground, moles and other burrowers may eat cicadas. Once they emerge, birds, fish and small mammals may eat them. ||||| Cicadas are large insects (Order: Hemiptera) that occur worldwide and are commonly recognized for their unique sound. While often referred to as "locusts" in the United States, they bear no relation to true locusts, which are grasshoppers. Cicadas are closely related to leafhoppers and spittlebugs. Cicadas can be found all over the world as symbols, representing transformation, reincarnation and immortality. 
 
 Identification 
 
 Periodical cicadas, Magicicada spp., are the best known and longest lived species of insect in North America. These insects are approximately 1.5 inches long, and they have clear wings with orange veins that are held rooflike over their bodies. Periodical cicadas occur only in North America. They are characterized by having regional broods that emerge in mass every 13 or 17 years. "Dog-day," or annual cicadas, are larger than periodical cicadas and have green to brown bodies with black markings and a whitish bloom. These cicadas emerge in midsummer every year. Cicadas have prominent eyes set wide apart on the head with short, hairlike antennae. The periodical cicada has distinct reddish-orange eyes. 
 
 Annual cicada adult. Cicada nymph. 
 
 Life Cycle 
 
 Adult cicadas live only for two to four weeks. During this short time, they feed relatively little by sucking fluid from tender, young twigs. Male cicadas sing to attract females by vibrating membranes on the underside of the first abdominal segment. Female cicadas are silent. 
 
 Approximately 10 days after molting, female cicadas will mate and begin laying eggs in tree branches ¼- to ½-inch in diameter. She uses her long, sharp ovipositor to make slits in small tree branches, creating pockets in the branch. Each pocket may contain 20–28 eggs. Eggs are elongate and pearly white in color. The female continues laying eggs in rows along the branch. She may lay from 400 to 600 eggs in her lifetime at various sites. Six to 10 weeks later, the white antlike nymphs emerge and drop off the tree branch onto the ground below. They typically burrow 6–18 inches into the soil and begin feeding on plant roots. During the spring of an emergence year, periodical cicada nymphs may build mud tubes that project 3–5 inches above the soil, apparently to escape wet or saturated soils. 
 
 Periodical cicada adult, feeding. Periodical cicada adult, emerging. 
 
 Cicadas live most of their lives underground in the nymphal stage. They typically reside in the soil at depths ranging from 1–8 feet, where they use their sucking mouthparts to feed on the sap from tree roots. Cicadas undergo approximately three to five nymphal instars. Periodical cicadas emerge in specific locations once every 17 years in the northern part of their range (including Ohio), and once every 13 years in the southern part, with some overlap in distribution (Figure 1). The "dog-day," or annual cicadas, appear during the long summer days of July and August. These cicadas have two- to five-year life cycles, but adults appear every summer. 
 
 Figure 1. Periodical cicada brood map. 
 
 Adult emergence typically occurs at night. Mature cicada nymphs crawl out of the soil, leaving behind a ½-inch hole. They crawl up nearby trees, vegetation or other vertical objects to molt. Their shed outer skins, or exoskeletons, may be found attached to tree trunks and twigs. 
 
 Periodical cicada emergence is often tightly synchronized, with most nymphs appearing within a few nights. Different groups called "broods" emerge somewhere in the eastern United States almost every spring. Ohio has four broods that emerge at different years (Figure 1). Massive brood emergence, usually in May and early June, is believed to overwhelm predators, typically birds. This ensures that enough survivors will be left behind to reproduce. Male cicadas are capable of making a loud buzzing noise, and they squawk when disturbed. The males often synchronize their buzzing in trees. Within each brood there are four or more species. Each species has a different call. It is believed that such droning and squawking is effective in deterring predators. 
 
 Annual cicadas usually emerge from June through August. Their emergence is scattered over this time, and they rarely emerge in noticeable numbers. Annual cicada males also sing to attract females. The cicada killer wasp often captures these insects to provision its nest in the ground. 
 
 Damage 
 
 Cicada eggs in tree branch. 
 
 Periodical cicadas damage trees above and below ground. The most obvious damage is that caused by egg-laying in small twigs. This damage causes twigs to split, wither and die, causing a symptom called "flagging." Flagging is especially serious on young plants (four years or younger) because more of the branches are of the preferred size for oviposition, ¼- to ½-inch in diameter. Some of the more favored trees for oviposition include maple, oak, hickory, beech, ash, dogwood, hawthorn, magnolia, willow, apple, peach, cherry and pear. Flowers, vines and shrubs include Rose of Sharon, rose, raspberry, grape, black-eyed Susan, hollies, spirea, rhododendron, viburnum, junipers and arborvitae. More than 270 species of plants have been noted as hosts for egg-laying periodical cicadas. 
 
 Damage is also done by the nymphs that suck sap from roots. Prolonged feeding by nymphs on a tree's root system may reduce plant growth and fruit production. Cicadas do not bite or sting and have no known toxic chemicals. Adult cicadas are usually a nuisance by their sheer numbers and loud, piercing call. Cicadas have fluttered into automobiles and frightened drivers, leading to traffic accidents. Emerging cicadas may also be consumed by dogs and cats, but they cause no harm to these animals. These pets occasionally will consume so many of the cicadas that they regurgitate or become constipated. 
 
 Control Tactics 
 
 Flagging caused by oviposition. 
 
 Periodical cicadas are especially damaging to young plants that have the most desirable branch size for egg-laying. This is especially important in tree nurseries. Large, established trees can withstand considerable flagging. 
 
 Cultural Contro​l: Delay Tree Planting 
 
 If a periodical cicada emergence is predicted, it may be best to postpone new orchard plantings until the following spring. Home gardeners are encouraged to delay planting until late summer or fall, after the adult cicadas have died. 
 
 Cultural Control: Prevent Egg-Laying 
 
 Trees in small orchards or yards can be protected with nylon netting or cheesecloth during the egg-laying period. The netting should have a mesh of no less than ¼ inch and should be placed over the trees when the first male songs are heard. The netting should be tied to the trunk beneath the lower branches and can be removed after adult activity has ended. Eggs may also be removed by pruning out destroyed twigs. 
 
 Chemical Control: Not Recommended 
 
 Insecticide treatments are typically not recommended. However, if young trees are present and cicadas are in the area, treatment may be warranted. Registered products may be applied to deciduous trees and shrubs. These products should be applied prior to egg-laying. Blooming trees and plants should be avoided to reduce nontarget effects to honeybees. During persistent cicada activity, short residual activity pesticides will have to be applied every week or two until flight ceases. Before using any pesticide, always read the label, follow the directions and take safety precautions. 
 
 This fact sheet is a revision of HYG-2137. ||||| Magicicada septendecim (Linnaeus) 
 
 Periodical cicadas are spectacular insects, often making sudden and dramatic appearances. Alexander and Moore wrote in 1962, "The periodical cicadas make up a truly amazing group of animals; since their discovery 300 years ago, the origin and significance of their extended life cycles have been a continual source of puzzlement to biologists. Their incredible ability to merge by the millions as noisy, flying, gregarious, photopositive adults within a matter of hours after having spent 13 or 17 years underground as silent, burrowing, solitary, sedentary juveniles is without parallel in the animal kingdom." 
 
 Periodical cicada adult Photographer: Lacy L. Hyche Auburn University 
 
 The periodical cicada is a native North American species. It is the longest-lived insect in North America. No other insect in North America generates as much interest and curiosity as do periodical cicadas when they make their sudden, springtime emergence. They are widely distributed over the eastern half of the United States and occur nowhere else in the world. 
 
 Periodical cicadas are commonly called or referred to as "17-year locusts." Early American colonists had never seen periodical cicadas. They were familiar with the biblical story of locust plagues in Egypt and Palestine, but were not sure what kind of insect was being described. When the cicadas appeared by the millions, some of these early colonists thought a "locust plague" had come upon them. Some American Indians thought their periodic appearance had an evil significance. The confusion between cicadas and locusts exists today in that cicadas are commonly called locusts. The term "locust" is correctly applied only to certain species of grasshoppers. 
 
 There are six species of periodical cicadas, three with a 17-year cycle and three with a 13-year cycle. The three species in each life-cycle group are distinctive in size, color, and song. The 17-year cicadas are generally northern, and the 13-year cicadas southern with considerable overlap in their distribution. In fact, both life-cycle types may occur in the same forest. 
 
 For convenience of reference, each "brood" has been designated by a Roman numeral. The numerals I through XVII are assigned to the 17-year broods, and XVIII through XXX to the 13-year broods. The numbering of the 17-year broods began with the 1893 brood which was designated as Brood I. In 1909, Brood XVII appeared, and in 1910, Brood I appeared again. There are at least 13 broods of 17-year cicadas and five broods of 13-year cicadas. 
 
 In Pennsylvania separate populations referred to as broods are present during eight different years in different geographic ranges in the state (Table 1). All of the broods in Pennsylvania require 17 years to reach maturity. Several of these broods are very small. Brood X, known as the "great eastern brood," is a large brood with heavy concentrations found in the eastern half of the state from late May through June during the years they emerge. 
 
 Description 
 
 Adults are about one and one-half inches long and have eyes and wing veins that are reddish orange. They are smaller than their cousins, the dog-day cicadas. Dog-day cicadas, Tibicen spp., are mostly large, blackish insects usually with greenish wing veins and appear every year from mid-July through mid-September. 
 
 Life History 
 
 After 17 years of living in the soil from depths of two to twenty-four inches, mature nymphs of the periodical cicada start burrowing upward. In April they burrow to about an inch beneath the soil surface where they stop and await the proper time to emerge. If the ground is too damp, mature nymphs build a protective earthen turret. Their bodies undergo major changes in muscle structure at this time. When the undetermined signal for emergence occurs, nymphs exit from about a one-half inch diameter hole in the ground. Nymphs crawl a foot or more up tree trunks, weeds, or other upright objects where adults emerge leaving their nymphal skins behind. The process of shedding a nymphal skin is completed in an hour or less. The periodical cicada is now an adult, but it is soft and white. In time its exoskeleton hardens and becomes darker. During some years, practically all of the population in a brood from a forest may emerge on the same night, or on two or three different nights. 
 
 Adults are rather clumsy fliers and often collide into objects during flight. Soon after emerging, males begin their constant "singing" while females remain silent. The sound made by adult males is sometimes haunting and eerie. About 10 days after emergence, females will mate and begin depositing eggs in twigs and branches of nearly 80 different preferred species of trees and woody shrubs. They usually do not deposit eggs in coniferous trees. Generally, the female will deposit 400-600 eggs in the twigs of their preferred species. Using the blades of a sawlike, egg-laying device at the end of the abdomen, females puncture the bark of a twig and make a pocket in the wood. Females may deposit from 24-28 eggs in two rows in one of these pockets. They then move forward, cut another pocket, and lay more eggs. The pockets are placed close together in a straight row sometimes forming a continuous slit for two to three inches. Adults live for approximately three to four weeks above ground. Most are usually gone by the beginning of July. 
 
 Hatching occurs six to seven weeks after egg laying, and the white, antlike nymphs work their way out of the slits and drop to the ground where they enter the soil. Here they insert their piercing-sucking mouthparts and draw plant fluid from roots of plants for the next 17 years. The number of nymphal instars (growth phases) is still uncertain, although some studies indicate that there are five instars. According to one researcher, the first instar lasts about one year, the second and third about two years each, the fourth three years, and the fifth nine years. 
 
 Damage 
 
 Adults do not feed on leaves. If they feed at all, it is by sucking plant fluid from tender young twigs. The most noticeable damage done by periodical cicadas is from egg-laying. Twigs slit by the female's ovipositor will frequently have leaves that wilt and die. Many of the damaged twigs will break off and drop to the ground. Fruit and nut orchards can suffer heavy pruning losses from high populations of these insects. The effect of root feeding by the nymph is considered inconsequential to most trees. 
 
 Management 
 
 Non-chemical 
 
 A periodical cicada year is a time of feasting for a surprising array of creatures. Birds and fish feed ravenously on the adult stage of these insects. Grackles and crows voraciously dine on periodical cicadas. Fish will literally gorge themselves on adult cicadas when they are abundant in trees and shrubs along a stream. 
 
 Small trees can be covered with a mesh cloth to prevent the females from laying eggs in the twigs. Delaying the planting of trees during a cicada year may also be considered. 
 
 Chemical 
 
 Deciduous shrubs, fruit, nut, and shade trees may be protected with registered formulations of insecticides. The first application should be made prior to egg laying; this is approximately 7-10 days after the male periodical cicadas start their singing. Additional applications may be necessary. Apply all control materials according to label directions. Always refer to individual insecticide labels for host plant clearance information. 
 
 Table 1. Timetable of expected appearances of the periodical cicada in Pennsylvania. Year(s) Brood No. Counties in Which They May Emerge 2021 
 
 
 
 
 
 X 
 
 
 
 
 
 Adams, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bucks, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clinton, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Elk, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Union, and York Counties; last emerged in 2004 
 
 
 
 2025 
 
 
 
 
 
 XIV 
 
 
 
 
 
 Adams, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Cumberland, Franklin, Huntingdon, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Tioga, Union, and York Counties; last emerged in 2008 2012 (2029) I Adams, Cumberland, and Franklin Counties; last emerged in 1995 2013 (2030) 
 
 
 
 II Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Pike, Schuylkill, and Wyoming Counties; last emerged in 1996 
 
 
 
 2016 (2033) 
 
 
 
 V Fayette, Greene, Somerset, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties; last emerged in 1999 
 
 
 
 2017 (2034) 
 
 
 
 VI Bucks, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, and Westmoreland Counties; last emerged in 2000 
 
 
 
 2018 (2035) VII Allegheny, Butler, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties; last emerged in 2001 2019 (2036) VIII Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Clarion, Crawford, Fayette, Forest, Huntingdon, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties; last emerged in 2002 
 
 Warning 
 
 Pesticides are poisonous. Read and follow directions and safety precautions on labels. Handle carefully and store in original labeled containers out of the reach of children, pets, and livestock. Dispose of empty containers right away, in a safe manner and place. Do not contaminate forage, streams, or ponds. 
 
 Authored by: Gregory A. Hoover, Sr. Extension Associate 
 
 Revised May 2013
– There will soon be a buzz in the air in the Northeast. Billions of cicadas with a 17-year life span have spent the entire 21st century underground in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, reports Fox News. But when nighttime soil temperature hits 64 degrees for four consecutive days beginning next month, as many as 1.5 million bugs per acre will emerge from their hiding places to mate and lay eggs; the Washington Post reports females can lay as many as 400 eggs apiece. Death will follow three to five weeks after the cicadas have been above ground. Once the cicada eggs hatch, the ant-sized nymphs will head underground to suck sap from tree roots just like their parents and only emerge in spring 2033, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Unlike the greenish-black cicadas that resurface every year and "make a ch-ch-ch-ch sound," the 17-year periodical cicadas are black and orange and produce "a continuous buzzing sound," according to Cleveland Metroparks. Farm and Dairy explains there are 13 "broods" of 17-year cicadas, with each brood bearing a Roman numeral from I through XVII as name; the numeral indicates the possible year the cicadas will emerge. As Penn State's College of Agriculture Science explains, "The numbering of the 17-year broods began with the 1893 brood which was designated as Brood I. In 1909, Brood XVII appeared, and in 1910, Brood I appeared again." Those coming shortly are Brood V. Different broods occupy different parts of the country. Ohio, for instance, is home to four broods. CicadaMania.com shares the locations within the aforementioned six states where the creatures are most likely to emerge. (Scientists recently cracked the monarch butterfly's secret to not getting lost.)