Billions of cicadas about to emerge from ground after 17 years
The 17-year periodic cicadas, known as Brood X, will emerge only in North America in 15 states, including Pennsylvania.
This spring, billions of insects will emerge from the ground in what seems like an exciting yet apocalyptic natural event.
The 17-year periodic cicadas, known as Brood X, will emerge only in North America in 15 states, including Pennsylvania.
Other places they are found are Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York (extinct or nearly so), Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.
There are other broods, but this is among the most abundant in Pennsylvania. The last time this brood emerged was in 2004.
Well, actually a few mistakenly emerged in 2017, said Karl Gardner, secretary of the Mengel Natural History Society, who photographed some on his 8-acre Oley-area property, where he has lived for more than four decades. The genus, he said, is Magicicada.
In Berks, M. septendecim is the most common, but you can also find M. cassini and M. septendecula.
Gardner said they have also been spotted near the Appalachian Trail near Hawk Mountain in Albany Township and at Nolde Forest in Cumru Township.
The red-eyed winged leaf-hoppers (yes, leafhopper like the spotted lanternfly) will emerge when the ground reaches 64 degrees. Then, they will mate, lay eggs and die in a noisy frenzy that lasts two to three weeks. Sometimes mistaken for locusts, they won’t do the same kind of damage as that pest.
Molting from nymph to adult takes place at night, according to Gardner, who presented his experiences at a recent Mengel Natural History Society meeting.
In the areas where they are found you can look for molting cicadas after dark until past midnight. The newly emerged adults are white except for the red eyes and two black spots on the thorax.
While drying, they are unable to fly and are easily approached. Drying lasts until mid-morning or later when cool or rainy, according to Gardner’s presentation.
In 2008, Brood 14 appeared south of Reading near Joanna Furnace and in Robeson Township, according to Reading Eagle accounts.
In 2013, Brood 2 appeared along the northern tier of Berks County, specifically in the Hawk Mountain area.
These cicadas are smaller than the ones you see every August, and they have red eyes, Gardner said.
Trees and woody plants are important to cicadas. Females pierce twigs and lay eggs in quarter-inch slits. The nymphs bury themselves in the ground and feed on the tree roots for years before emerging from the ground in 17-year cycles.
Gardner said in the northern states there are usually three species of cicadas, some more common than others, but in the South there are four species, and the cycles are a shorter 13 years.
To learn more about cicadas go to https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/category/broods/brood-x/
To see a locator map complied by the University of Connecticut go to https://cicadas.uconn.edu/ brood_10/#