Cicadas spotted in Arkansas as Brood XIX continues to emerge: See US map, latest sighting info
Already seeing a lot of cicadas?
Arkansas is one of 17 states expected to get a visit from some of the trillions of cicadas this year, part of a rare, double brood event. The state will entertain Brood XIX cicadas this year, which emerges every 13 years and will be found in more states than the 17-year Brood XIII, although both are expected to emerge in parts of Illinois and Iowa.
They have been underground for the last 13 or 17 years, waiting for the right conditions to emerge, feed, mate and die, when the next generation will then head underground to start the cycle all over again.
Brood XIX cicadas have already been spotted above ground in Arkansas, with many more on the way soon. Here's what you should know.
Cicada map 2024: See latest on Broods XIII and XIX as sightings are reported across the South
When are cicadas expected to emerge in Arkansas?
According to Cicada Mania, the insects begin to emerge when the soil 8 inches underground reaches 64 degrees, and are often triggered by a warm rain.
Emergence dates may vary around the country, but Brood XIX has already been spotted in Arkansas across the Southeast and is expected to emerge more broadly around the eastern U.S. by mid-May.
Which cicada brood is in Arkansas?
Arkansas will only see one of the double brood emerging this year: Brood XIX. The brood last emerged in 2011, and after this year, is set to emerge again in 2037.
Besides Arkansas, Brood XIX will also be found this year in the following states: Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Where have cicadas been reported in Arkansas?
Brood XIX cicadas have already been spotted a few places in Arkansas, according to Cicada Safari, a cicada tracking app by Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio. They have been spotted in the state along the Arkansas/Missouri border and west of Little Rock, near Arkadelphia, Hot Springs, Okolona and Yocana.
The Cicada Safari app allows users to submit pictures and video of cicadas in their area, which builds an interactive map tracking the species as they emerge this year.
So far, Cicada Safari users have seen Brood XIX in states including Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky and Missouri.
2024 cicada map: Check out where Broods XIII, XIX projected to emerge
The two cicada broods will emerge in a combined 17 states across the Southeast and Midwest, with an overlap in Illinois and Iowa.
What's so special about the two broods coming out at the same time?
Trillions of Brood XIX and Brood XIII periodical cicadas will emerge this year, which they will stay above ground for a few weeks, where they will eat, mate and die, and new offspring will move underground to wait for another 13 or 17 years.
While both annual and periodical cicadas come out in various areas every year, it is rare for two different broods to emerge at the same time.
Brood XIII (13) has a 17-year life cycle, and last emerged in 2007. Like the other brood, they will begin to emerge in their area once the soil 8 inches underground reaches 64 degrees, and are also often triggered by a warm rain. They will be found in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Broods XIX and XIII last emerged together 221 years ago in 1803, when Thomas Jefferson was president and there were only 17 states in the Union. After this year, they are not expected to emerge again at the same time until 2245.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cicadas spotted in Arkansas: Brood XIX continues to come out across US