Cicada ManiaFemale Magicicada cicadas do not sing, but they do make a sound by flicking their wings. These percussive wing flicks get the attention of male cicadas and it compels them to sing their court songs in response.
Here’s a video of a female cicada flicking her wings:
A video of a group of female cicadas flicking their wings in a tree:
You can fool male cicadas into thinking a finger snap is a wing flick. Here’s a video of a male cicada calling in response to fake wing flicks:
Have a listen to Dr. Chordate’s Periodical Cicada Graduation Song, with an intro by Dr. Chordate. “This is a graduation song: the larvae of the 17-year periodic cicada finally emerge from the ground to transform into adults.”
Renowned cicada researcher Gene Kritsky, PhD., has a new book out: Periodical Cicadas: The Brood X Edition. It was available for Kindle and paperback on Amazon.com. I assume Gene will have an updated version in 2038.
Gene is also has a new link for the Cicada Safari App.
Here’s a song titled Seventeen Year Cicadas by George Peter Block, Jr,:
Aside from Brood X, what else is happening in terms of Periodical cicadas?
I was wondering how much an adult Magicicada weighs. According to Richard Karban’s paper “Transient habitats limit development time for periodical cicadas,” a female Magicicada septendecim weighs approximately 1.2 grams. (Karban, R. (2014), Transient habitats limit development time for periodical cicadas. Ecology, 95: 3-8. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1518.1)
According to the CDC website, the average adult American human weighs 84051 grams.
That means the average adult weighs as much as 70,043 Magicicada cicadas.
Image unrelated:
Magicicada.org was an amazing website filled with information about Magicicada periodical cicadas and backed by cicada expert, John Cooley.
The site now has a new address and look: Cicadas @ UCONN (https://cicadas.uconn.edu/). Bookmark it in preparation for the 2021 Brood X emergence.
UCONN (University of Connecticut) has other cicada websites such as The Simon Lab and Cicada Central.
Brood X emerged in Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York (not yet extinct), Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington D.C. Report them with the Cicada Safari app. Use the hashtag #BroodX or #BroodXCicadas on social media.
LATEST NEWS:
Enjoy this video from 2021:
12/27/21: Dr. Gene Kritsky’s retrospective on the 2021 Brood X emergence has been published on the America Entomologist website.
What, when, where, and why:
Billions of these insects:
Typically beginning in May and ending in late June. These cicadas will begin to emerge approximately when the soil 8" beneath the ground reaches 64 degrees Fahrenheit. A nice, warm rain will often trigger an emergence. Back in 2004, people began reporting emergences around May, 13th, but if the weather is warmer, it might start in late April. Update: in 2021, they started in Tennessee on 4/27.
Other tips: these cicadas will emerge after the trees have grown leaves, and, by my own observation, around the same time Iris flowers bloom:
Cicadas @ UCONN has the most up to date map. If you see a cicada and want to report it, the Cicada Safari App is available for Android and Apple devices .
Here’s my list from 2004. Green highlight means adults have emerged in 2021!
Delaware counties: Kent, New Castle, Sussex.
Delaware places: Newark, Wilmington.
Georgia counties: Gilmer, Murray, Union, White, .
Georgia places: Blairsville, Blue Ridge, Chatsworth, Ellijay, Fort Mountain State Park, Norcross.
Illinois counties: Edgar, Clark, Cook, Crawford, Vermilion.
Illinois places: Marshall, Park Forest, University Park.
Indiana counties: Brown, Clark, Clay, Columbus, Crawford, Daviess, Dearborn, Dubois, Fountain, Gibson, Greene, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Lawrence, Marion, Martin, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Orange, Owen, Parke, Perry, Pike, Ripley, Spencer, Sullivan, Vanderburgh, Vigo, Warrick, Waveland, Washington.
Indiana places: Aurora, Bloomington, Brookville, Clinton Falls, Dillsboro, Fishers, French Lick, Henryville, Indianapolis, Lawrenceburg, Lexington, Martinsville, McCormick’s Creek State Park, Nashville, New Pelkin, North Vernon, Salem, Skiles Test Park, Spencer.
Kentucky counties: Boone, Breckenridge, Bullitt, Carroll, Daviess, Gallatin, Grayson, Hardin, Henry, Jefferson, Livingston, La Rue, McLean, Muhlenberg, Nelson, Ohio, Oldham, Trimble.
Kentucky places: Big Bone Lick State Park, Covington, Dayton, Dry Ridge, Eastview, Florence, Ft. Thomas, Georgetown, Grand Rivers, Hebron, Highland Heights, Louisville, Newport, Villa Hills.
Maryland counties: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince Georges, Washington.
Maryland places: Abingdon, Annapolis, Aspen Hill, Baltimore (learn about the Baltimore Cicada Art project), Bel Air, Beltsville, Berwyn Heights, Bethesda, Bowie, Brooklandville, Brooklyn Park, Catonsville, Chevy Chase, Clarksville, Clinton, Colesville, College Park, Columbia, Cockeysville, Crofton, Cumberland, District Heights, Eldersburg, Elkridge, Elkton, Ellicott City, Fair Hill, Fallston, Forestville, Four Corners, Gaithersburg, Gambrills, Germantown, Glen Burnie, Glenelg, Greenbelt, Gwynn Oak, Hagerstown, Hanover, Havre De Grace, Hillcrest Heights, Hunt Valley, Hyattsville, Hydes, Jessup, Kensington, Landover Hills, Laurel, Linthicum, Loch Raven watershed, Lutherville, Odenton, Oella, Onley, Owings Mills, Pikesville, Potomac, Randallstown, Reisterstown, Riverdale, Rockville, Severna Park, Sharpsburg, Silver Spring, Takoma Park, Timonium, Towson, Travilah, Wheaton, Woodbine.
Want a FREE cicada book? In the DC area? Visit Lulu Florist, 4801 St. Elmo Ave., Bethesda, MD, and ask for a free copy of Cicada: Exotic Views by Davy Shian.
Michigan counties: Hillsdale, Washtenaw.
Michigan places: Ann Arbor, Canton, Quincy.
New Jersey counties: Burlington, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Salem, Somerset, Warren.
New Jersey places: Alexandria, Allerton, Annandale, Asbury, Belle Mead, Bethlehem Township, Berkeley Heights, Bloomsbury, Browns Mills, Carpentersville, Clinton, Clinton Township, Cranbury, Delaware Township, East Amwell Township, Flemington, Franklin Park, Franklin Township (Somerset), Franklin Township (Warren), Frenchtown, Greenwich Township, Grover’s Mill, Hampton, Harmony, Hillsborough Township, Holland Township, Hopewell Township, Kendall Park, Kingston, Kingwood Township, Lambertville, Lawrence, Lebanon, Merrill Creek Reservoir, Milford, Montgomery, Monmouth Junction, Morristown, Mt. Rose, Pennington, Perryville, Phillipsburg, Plainsboro Township, Pittstown, Pohatcong Township, Princeton, Princeton Junction, Princeton Meadows, Prallsville, Raritan Township, Raven Rock, Readington Township, Ringoes, Rosemont, Rocky Hill, Skillman, Sourland Mountain, South Brunswick Township, Stanton, Stewartsville, Stockton, Union Township (Hunterdon), Voorhees Corner, West Windsor Township.
There’s an abundance of large parks and natural areas around Princeton.
New York counties: Suffolk (but extinct, or nearly so, but still look for them – Newsday article).
New York places: All on Long Island, but based on the 2004 emergence, they might be extinct. Some were seen in East Setauket, Connetquot River State Park, Ronkonkoma, Stony Brook. In 1987 they were seen in Shirley, Ronkonkoma, Bohemia, Connetquot River State Park, Oakdale, and Setauket.
In Long Island? Please read this article!.
North Carolina counties: Buncombe, Cherokee, Surry, Wilkes.
North Carolina places: Apex, Elkin, Morganton, Murphy, Roaring River, Weaverville.
Ohio counties: Butler, Clermont, Defiance, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Logan, Montgomery.
Ohio places: Amelia, Anderson Twp, Battelle Darby Park, Batavia, Bellbrook, Camden, Centerville, Cincinnati, Columbus, Defiance, Delaware, Delhi Twp, Dublin, Fairfield, Galloway, Hamilton, Kettering, Lewisburg, Lockland, Miamisburg, Olmsted Falls, Oxford, Paint Creek State Park, Springfield, St. Bernard, West Carrollton, West Chester.
Pennsylvania counties: Adams, Bedford, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Columbia, County, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, Schuylkill, Somerset, York.
Pennsylvania places:Archbald, Artemas, Bedford, Carroll Valley, Coopersburg, Dinosaur Rock, Downingtown, Erwinna, Gettysburg, Green Lane, Kintnersville, Lake Nockamixon, Lancaster, Lititz, Lumberville, Malvern, Mertztown, Metal Township, Mohnton, Mt Gretna, New Hope, Oaks, Oley, Perkasie, Perkiomenville, Phoenixville, Pipersville, Pittston, Plumstead Township, Point Pleasant, Quakertown, Red Lion, Roaring Spring, Solebury Township, Spring Mount, Stewartstown, Tinicum Township, Topton, Uhlerstown, Upper Black Eddy, Warwick Park, Williams Township.
Special note for folks in the Philly area: Is Philly Being Snubbed Again?.
Tennessee counties: Blount, Greene, Hamblen, Hamilton, Jefferson, Knox, Polk, Roane, Sumner, Washtington, Wilson.
Tennessee places: Benton, Copperhill, Farragut, Fayetteville, Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Powell, Signal Mountain.
Virginia counties: Arlington, Clarke, County, Dulles Smithsonian National Aircraft and Space Museum, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, Loudoun, Shenandoah, Warren, Winchester.
Virginia places: Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Ashburn, Centreville, Chantilly, Clearbrook, Del Ray, Doswell, Dunn Loring, Fairfax, Falls Church, Franconia, Gore, Hampton Roads, Haymarket, Herndon, Lorton, Lovettsville, Manassas, McLean, Merrifield, Oakton, Reston, Springfield, Sterling, Vienna, White Post, Winchester.
West Virginia counties: Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral, Morgan.
West Virginia places: Inwood, Martinsburg, New Creek, Paw Paw.
Washington D.C. places: Washington D.C.
Want a FREE cicada book? In the DC area? Visit Lulu Florist, 4801 St. Elmo Ave., Bethesda, MD, and ask for a free copy of Cicada: Exotic Views by Davy Shian.
More Location Tips:
This is an example of a typical cicada emergence. The exact dates will depend on the weather and density of the emergence in your location. Hot weather means an early start and quicker finish to the season — cool weather means a later start, and a protracted season.
Here’s an Excel version of the chart. Feel free to use it and adjust it to match your experience.
Or watch the video version:
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Lean why many cicada wings are striveled up or damaged. |
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Learn about the Massospora cicadina fungus they share. |
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Look for cicadas with blue, white or other colored eyes. |
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Look for Mosaic pigment disorders. |
Why do they stay underground for 17-years? The prevailing research suggests they’ve evolved a long, 17-year lifecycle to avoid predators that can sync up with their lifecycle & emergence. Why are there so many?! Research suggests that their huge numbers allow them to overwhelm predators, so enough of them will live on to breed and perpetuate the brood.
If you’re planting trees, wait until July. If your yard doesn’t get cicadas by the first week of June, it’s probably safe to plant in June. It’s the egg-laying that does damage. Talk to an arborist or tree expert if you’re actually concerned. I can’t answer your questions.
Things have changed since 1907. See the modern UConn Cicada Map, or the Live Map from the Cicada Safari app.
Leave a comment below, or join the Cicada Discussion & Science Group on Facebook.
Here’s something I wrote in 1996 to chronicle the Brood II cicada emergence in 1996. It’s probably meant to be semi-humorous.
Dan’s Cicada Diary for 1996.
Sunday, May 19th: Metuchen, New Jersey; I found the first desiccated cicada nymph exoskeleton on my patio. My cat disappears.
Tuesday, May 21st: I found about 40 nymph exoskeletons on my patio, a pine tree, and a maple tree. I also spotted an adult climbing the maple and two crippled adults rolling about the base of the tree.
Wednesday, May 22nd: Bonanza! I found about 500 adults perched on just about everything in my yard: trees, patio furniture, the foundation of my home, the garden hose, garbage cans, the missing cat’s water dish, my hair…just plain everywhere! Gruesome!
Saturday, May 25th: Avenel, New Jersey; Party at the Ritzow’s. Literally, hundreds of adult cicadas perched high above in oak trees sneer at decadent humans sipping martini’s, playing croquet. Bourgeois homo sapiens…bah humbug!
Thursday, May 30th: Metuchen, New Jersey; Still no sign of the cat. Sitting outside on my patio around 8:30 pm I hear a “snap”, “crackle” and “popping” sound. Rice Crispies? No. More like cicadas nymphs crawling out of their holes and onto my garden wall to molt into adulthood. Not the loveliest sight.
Saturday, June 1st: Westfield, New Jersey; Dave Wilson and Claire Adas’ wedding. A beautiful ceremony and reception, with the exception of the 9000 uninvited cicadas: crawling up people’s legs, crunching underfoot, landing in refreshments…a moment to cherish and remember!
Tuesday, June 4th: North Edison, New Jersey; The cicadas have begun to sing! All together they sound like a Boeing 767 is circling 40 feet overhead. The sound is that awesome. 10 inch deep piles of dying post-coitus adults litter the base of trees. The invasion has only begun!
Wednesday, June 5th – Monday, June 17th: Metuchen, North Edison, Colonia, Avenel, New Jersey; The invasion is in full effect! Homeowners in North Edison and Colonia report having to haul away the dying bodies of cicadas inwheelbarrows! Residents describe the cicadas’ combined mating screams as “loud as a UFO” [how do they know what a UFO sounds like?] and “like a Mack Truck was floating ten foot above your head”! Someone even told me cicadas taste like shrimp! I guess they made the best of a bad situation.
Wednesday, June 26th: Metuchen, New Jersey; It appears the invasion is over. All that remains is the dismembered, rotting corpses and the memories, sweet, sweet, memories. But remember, They’ll be back…in the year 2013!
Saturday, August 3rd: Metuchen, New Jersey; Looking out my second-story window I can clearly see the damage done by the 17-year cicadas. Brown patches of dead leaves speckle local oak and maple trees, revealing the branches where the female cicada has chosen to lay her eggs; an interesting “natural disaster”, but, not as heart-breaking as an earthquake or a flood. Clearly, the most provocative news regarding cicadas is the current hatch of annual cicadas, which are larger than the “17-year” cicadas (thoroughly illustrated within this web page) and greener. Another dissimilarity is the difference in their respective mating calls: while the “17-year” cicada makes a whirring sound somewhere between the motor of a vacuum cleaner and a car alarm, the “annual” cicada sounds more like a lawn sprinkler or maybe a sewing machine. Although I can clearly hear hundreds of “annual” cicadas and I have found their shells, I haven’t visually located a single one! Another cicada-related event has been the recent hatch of “cicada killer” wasps. These two-inch long giant wasps only prey upon, our friend, the defenseless cicada. I haven’t located these creatures either, but, they are definitely out there. Cicadas beware!
Wednesday, August 26th: Metuchen, New Jersey; the Tibicen cicadas continue to sing…
Wednesday, November 6th: Metuchen, New Jersey; they are all dead or sucking on roots underground.
This is from my “Cicada Humor” page from 1996-1997. It’s semi-humorous. For serious information visit the facts-only 17-year cicada page.
The 17-Year Cicada
Every 17 years a fearsome biological monstrosity drags its way to the surface of the earth. It comes only to mate and spawn; however, it imparts terror and disgust in the hearts and minds of every man, woman, child, and beast unfortunate enough to cross its path. This is no Hollywood fantasy, ladies and gentlemen, this creature is real, horribly real! Cast your trembling eyes upon mother nature’s most disturbing insectoid aberration…T
The Cicada a.k.a. “The 17-Year Locust”
July 17th, 1997
Seriously, folks, the cicada isn’t a locust, it’s, well, a cicada (a member of the Homoptera order of insects). These charming creatures are best known for their intense mating call, which sounds more or less like a lawn sprinkler, or a miniature AH-64 Apache Black Helicopter. When 10,000 or so of these suckers start screaming in your neighborhood you’ll think you’re in the middle of Apocalypse Now. Nowisthe time! Depending on where you live, these heinous herbivores should be dive-bombing your friends and family any day now.
Actually, they are more likely tofallout of a tree thanfly, but, rest assured, they will be landing somewhere on your body sometime soon.
Ilive in central New Jersey and right now we are up to our mandibles in a plague of these sap slurping oddities. Some breeds, including the green/yellow striped cicadas, rear their ugly heads every year, but, fortunately not in great numbers. The “periodic”, black-bodied, red-eyed, spawn of Beelzebub cicadas only present themselves once every 17 years;unfortunately,there are literally millions of them. Worst of all, they have a face, just like you or me!
Periodic cicadas live to be 17 years old (13 years in southern states), which means they’re the only insect that qualifies for a driver’s license in New Jersey. Actually, these creatures only spend two to four weeks of their lives as an adult. They spend the first 17 years underground sucking on roots! Exciting! Once the adults have mated, the female drills a hole in a tree branch with her butt (technically her ovipositor) and lays her eggs. The eggs soon hatch and the “nymphs” fall to the ground where they feed on root sap. As soon as the adults mate they croak and drop to the ground where they will decay and stink. If I were you I wouldn’t hang out under any trees this year. In the end, your best offense will be a shovel and a bucket, or, a hungry golden retriever.
Dan’s Cicada Diary for 1996
Cute names for the not so cute Cicada