Cicadas 2024: Will a cold snap delay the emergence of cicadas? When will they emerge?
Brood XIX, a brood of 13-year periodical cicadas, will emerge from Western North Carolina's soil within the next few weeks. Will the cold snap slow them down? Here's what to know.
Brood XIX, also known as the Great Southern Brood, earned the name through its status as the largest of all the periodical cicada broods. Brood XIX cicadas have been recorded along the east coast from Maryland to Georgia and in the Midwest from Iowa to Oklahoma.
Buncombe County is the only WNC county expected to see an emergence of this brood, according to previous Citizen Times reporting.
Both broods are estimated to emerge beginning in mid-May and last through late June, but with emergence depending on soil temperatures of 64 degrees 8 inches underground, many may be wondering if the recent WNC cold snap may slow them down.
Here's what to know about the emergence.
More: Cicadapocalypse: Will there be a double brood of cicadas in Western NC this year?
When will the cicadas emerge?
While the emergence of cicadas relies on soil temperatures, it would take a much more dramatic cold snap than what WNC has seen so far to slow the emergence down.
"Unless the cold is long enough to change the soil temperature (which is slower to change than air temp) then the cicadas would likely not be affected as far as emergence," said Director of NCSU's Plant Disease and Insect Clinic Matt Bertone.
The 13-year Brood XIX cicadas (and their 17-year Brood XIII counterparts, in other areas of the country) are still expected to emerge in mid-May and continue their signature drone through late June. Emergences are often triggered by a warm rain. This is one of several big differences between periodical cicadas and their annual "dog-day" cicada counterparts, which emerge later in July and August.
Are cicadas harmful to humans?
While cicadas don't bite or sting, Cicada Mania, a site dedicated to cicadas, explains that they can "pierce and suck."
Unlike wasps, ants and other insects, cicadas do not have mandibles built for biting and tearing flesh. They don't have stingers, either. Cicadas use suckers to drink tree fluids, and while they might occasionally mistake a human for a tree, cicadas are not drawn to blood. Cicada Mania says that, in fact, it would likely prove poisonous to them if they were to attempt to drink human blood.
Cicada Mania also suggested that, if you want to avoid cicadas, you should avoid using power tools, drills, saws, lawn mowers, weed whackers, leaf blowers, etc., in their presence, as they may mistake the sounds made by these tools for other cicadas.
As they gain their sustenance from trees, cicadas also don't pose a threat to vegetable and flower gardens.
More: Are there 'murder hornets' in North Carolina? What to know about the Asian giants.
Where do periodical cicadas live?
While different broods of periodical cicadas have different territories, they are all found in eastern and midwestern states. After hatching, cicada larvae bury into the soil, where they live until it's time to emerge. Then, the cicadas migrate to trees and shrubs to spend the remainder of their lives reproducing.
The 13-year Brood XIX will emerge in 14 states across the Southeast and Midwest, and a 17-year Brood XIII will emerge in five Midwestern states around the same time, according to Cicada Mania.
This co-emergence will be the first time the broods have overlapped in 221 years. If you can wait 20 years, you'll be able to catch the next total solar eclipse in the U.S. in 2044. The next double-emergence of these two broods, however, is another 200 years away in 2245.
More: Are cicadas dangerous? Busting myths on the harmfulness of the noisy pests.
What are Brood XIX cicadas?
Brood XIX cicadas have a 13-year life cycle. This means they last emerged in 2011. The brood is estimated to emerge in a larger number of states than Brood XIII beginning mid-May. You'll hear them droning through late June, according to Cicada Mania. The Great Southern Brood will emerge in the following states:
Alabama
Arkansas
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
Missouri
North Carolina
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia
What are Brood XIII cicadas?
Brood XIII cicadas have a longer life cycle of 17 years, but will emerge in a smaller area. They last emerged in 2007 and will emerge this year during a similar timeframe to Brood XIX. Brood XIII will emerge in these states:
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Wisconsin
The brood may also appear in Michigan, Cicada Mania says.
Iris Seaton is the trending reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Cicadas 2024 North Carolina: When will cicadas emerge?
