Cicadas spotted in Missouri as Brood XIX continues to emerge: See latest on sightings, US map
2024 is the year of the cicada, and that is definitely the case in Missouri, where one brood has started to emerge en masse.
Missouri is one of 17 states expected to see cicadas this year, part of a rare, double brood event. The 13-year Brood XIX emerges every 13 years, and will be found in more states, including Missouri, than the 17-year Brood XIII, although both are expected to emerge in 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, where the next generation will then head underground to start the cycle all over again.
Like it or not, Brood XIX cicadas have already been spotted above ground, with many more coming soon. Here's what you should know.
Cicada map 2024: Latest on Broods XIII and XIX as sightings are reported across the South
When are cicadas expected to emerge in Missouri?
According to Cicada Mania, the insects begin emerge when the soil 8 inches underground reaches 64 degrees, and are often triggered by a warm rain.
Cicada nymphs will open half inch-wide holes in the soil surface in late April, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation, and in early May, they emerge from the soil, climb on trees and shed their exoskeletons.
Emergence dates may vary around the country, but Brood XIX has already been spotted across parts of the Southeast and is expected to emerge more broadly around the eastern U.S. by mid-May.
Which cicada brood is in Missouri?
Missouri is expected to only see one of the broods emerging this year: Brood XIX.
The brood last emerged in 2011, and after 2024, is set to emerge again in 2037.
Besides Missouri, Brood XIX will also be found this year in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee.
Where have cicadas been reported in Missouri?
Brood XIX cicadas have already been spotted a few places in Missouri, 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 Missouri/Arkansas border, near Columbia in central Missouri and near St. Louis in the east.
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 reported seeing 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 will emerge
The two cicada broods will emerge in a combined 17 states across the Southeast and Midwest, with Illinois and Iowa expected to host both.
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 and 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 in Missouri 2024: Brood XIX sightings reported; see US map