2024 cicada-geddon: Trillions expected to swarm parts of US

Trillions of cicadas, which last came together in 1803, will cover a larger than normal area of the United States.

An historic convergence of cicadas is coming.

But will Massachusetts residents get to see them?

Two broods of "periodical" cicadas –  13-year brood Brood XIX and the 17-year Brood XIII – are emerging from the ground, and that's a rare occasion in itself - it's not often that two such broods arise at the same time. It hasn't happened in 200 years.

But you may have to go farther south to see the spectacle in full, which is expected to begin in May.

However, Massachusetts residents will be able to get a good glimpse of the insects when 2025 rolls around.

There are more than 2,000 species of this insect worldwide, according to Mass Audubon the most common in Massachusetts being the "Dog Day" cicada, which arise every two years or so. The Dog Day cicada is "approximately 2.25 inches long, medium brown, with a green venation, the vein structure in its wing."

The "periodical" cicada comes out once every 17 years, and are a bit smaller than Dog Day cicadas, with black bodies, Mass Wildlife explained. The periodical creatures are the ones people are clamoring for this year.

What they're most known for is their ability to make a racket, able to generate noise reaching 100 decibels. Cicadas can typically heard "singing" during late summer days, according to Mass Wildlife. The cicadas make such sounds with organs in their bodies called tympana.

As stated above, a convergence of cicadas likes this hasn't happened in 200 years. The result it going to be trillions of them.

The co-emergence – which will being once the soil 8 inches underground reaches 64 degrees, beginning in mid-May and lasting through late June – isn't expected to happen again until over 200 years from now, in 2245.

More: The cicadas are coming: Check out a 2024 map of where the two broods will emerge

Unfortunately, residents of the Commonwealth won't be able to see the emergence of the two broods, as the phenomenon is happening more south.

The states that will be inundated include the following:

• Illinois
• Missouri
• Arkansas
• North Carolina
• Georgia
• Alabama
• Tennessee

The answer is yes, and you'll only have to wait until next year. According to a recent study at UMass-Amherst, "Brood XIV" is expected in parts of the Commonwealth in 2025. According to the Cicadia Mania website, the last time this particular brood emerged was in 2008.

The brood of cicadas coming next year will be particularly present on Cape Cod. Cicadas @ UCONN notes that Cape Cod's cicada populations "are unusual for their occurrence on sandy soil."

Historical dates for Brood XIV in Massachusetts include appearances over the 1700s, 1800s and 1900s in Barnstable, Dennis, Falmouth, Bourne, Plymouth and a handful of other nearby towns. 

In 2030 in Connecticut, Brood II, the East Coast Brood, is scheduled to make an appearance.

According to Mass Audubon, "cicadas are among the most benign of insects" and do not typically carry any sorts of disease. The organization added that they do not hurt pets, either.

News Source : https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/environment/2024/04/17/cicadas-2024-map-brood-xix-brood-xii-massachusetts-cape-cod/73324644007/