Cicada Mania

Dedicated to cicadas, the most amazing insects in the world.

April 19, 2008

Reporting your cicada sightings

Filed under: Brood XIV | Magicicada — Dan @ 9:20 am

You can play an important role this year in documenting the Brood XIV 17 year cicada emergence. Brood maps are built using data from scientists and people like you. This year we have an opportunity to build a better Brood XIV map, but the scientists who collect the data will need your help.

Where to post your sightings

The two main web sites where you will be able to post your sightings this year are:

Both sites promise to feature interfaces that will easily allow you to enter your sighting.

Where else:

In the Massachusetts area (and beyond): Massachusetts Cicadas (Jerry Bunker).

In the Mid-Atlantic region: Cicadas.info.

35 Comments »

  1. Vanessa Rudd says:

    I am hearing Cicadas in Grand Rivers, Kentucky. I could not find them to get a picture, but heard them when I went to the store. Im excited!

  2. Michelle Valenzuela says:

    Hearing my first cicadas today 6/29/20 in High Point, NC.

  3. Susan Anton says:

    spotted in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Sylvatus VA. They are so loud! Weird, at 3:00 everyday they go quiet and then in a hour or 1/2 hour they start again.

  4. CJ says:

    May 25, 2020 – I live in Potomac,Maryland, and just saw two huge Cicadas attached to my garden tent this past weekend. Can they lay eggs on the tent?

    1. Dan says:

      @CJ, they lay eggs in tree branches. Your tent is probably OK.

  5. Maurice Axelrad says:

    I have a home in Bethesda MD. I can report 1 large Cicada on my lawn and 2 dead large Cicadas in my swimming pool.

  6. Matt Gulick says:

    I don’t see any reports from Texas but I can assure you, they are here.

    Last year (2013) and again this year (2014), the air is filled with a constant, droning, non-stop buzzing. We are finding the shed exo-skeletons on deck posts and the leaves of our Yellow-Bell trees.

    We experienced some flagging on various tree branches last year and expect the same this year. Because our backyard is heavily wooded, there is not much we can do to protect them.

    GPS: 30° 34′ 56″ N. 97° 45′ 5″ W

    1. John boone says:

      Sighting today- 2017 sombrah drive cedar park texas. Un molted cicada. On sidewalk, placed on tree. Email with video sent to professor. Thanks!

  7. Alex says:

    I went to annual training with the national guard at camp edwards MA. There were thousands of cicadas flying around all the time. It was annoying trying to train with big ass bugs screaming in your ear. My buddy ate 7 of them impaled to a twig for 11 dollars.

  8. Kris says:

    For about 2 weeks we have been hearing them, knowing that they weren’t crickets, but having no idea what was making the sound. My kids caught an adult male this afternoon, and I was amazed to discover that it was a cicada. The continuous noise makes sense now, but I didn’t think that we had them out here in California. Bizarre!

  9. Barbara Hansen says:

    My little dog was playing with something in the yard early a.m. June 25, 2008 in Gardnerville, NV. I found this insect (?) that had her full attention. It was a cicado. Hear them a lot at night, and have seen several lately.

  10. Annie says:

    It sounds like an alien space ship has landed in Pt. Jeff Station, NY. The humming noise is constant and loud. Very interesting I must say.

  11. John Deere says:

    We are in Maysville, KY and the cicadas are out in force. We just deal with them flying at, around and on us. The noise is so loud, but not annoying – its distinct, loud, but not a bad thing. What is strange is the way they try to dive-bomb you as you are walking or mowing grass. When they land on you its a bit frightening as well. I will be glad when they leave, but it has been a neat experience seeing them.

  12. mary king says:

    we have had cicadas for about 2 weeks in winchester ky. We did video last night they are so loud and sooooo many!!!! My subdivision is infested.

  13. Jennifer says:

    I live in Louisville, Kentucky and I just came home from vacation in Floriday on Friday. I got out of the car and was overcome by this horribly loud noise. They are all over my Bradford Pear tree and flying all around my front door. My five year old is so freaked out that she won’t come out the front door. Trying to mow the yard was crazy. They are so annoying. And I have little holes all over the front and back yards. They are literally flying around in your face while you try to get into your car. How long will this last? The noise is almost unbearable. I wonder why they are worse in some areas than others. I noticed they weren’t in the trees at work, which are right on a creek bed.

  14. Kate Shelton says:

    I just moved to the Middletown neighbourhood of Louisville KY from South Carolina. I couldn’t work out what the noise was until someone told me, it’s so loud! They’re all over the place here.

  15. Kimberly says:

    I live in Nicholasville, Kentucky (right outside of Lexington)and we are swamped with 17 year Cicadas. I cant walk outside without being ambushed by the noisy pests. My Bradford Pear Tree is swarming with them and the trunk looks like it was made out of Cicadas! At night time they are just as bad. They are even keeping my dog awake at night by slamming into the front door and screeching. My dog is having a field day trying to catch them! This almost looks like what I would imagine a Biblical plague would be like. It’s kind of scary if you ask me. Oh well if I can get through this summer with my hearing and sanity intact it will be a true miricle lol!

  16. Darren says:

    We were at rough river lake in Grayson County, KY swimming and they were all in the water. The fish were having a field day, it was like fishing with a top water buzz bait or something. They were extremely loud.

  17. Shannon says:

    We have a swarm sighting by the Walmart on Cincinnati Dayton Rd, West Chester Ohio in Butler County. Also, we were at Kings Island in Mason over the weekend and it’s just a mess! They’re everywhere!

  18. Judy Hatmaker says:

    I live in the Stinking Creek Community of Pioneer TN. The cicadas have been here since about the second week of May. When they first emerged they were fasinating. They are so loud
    and they are getting to be so annoying. Just wondering how much longer. Thanks and
    what a great web site.

  19. C K says:

    Our sub-division in McMinnville TN has cicada’s all over the place.We have a large amount of bartlett pear trees in our yard and they are full.The noise is unbelievable.I was on my way to work Thursday morning and had to swat them away so I could get in my car, as I was driving to work I felt something crawling up my leg so I pulled over and had to remove a cicada from my jeans…LOL. I was doing the Cicada dance.It is Cicadapoluza in Mcminnville, Tn.

  20. Jennifer says:

    One smushed green cicada in my garage – Louisville KY

  21. Aaron says:

    I currently work Hamilton county. Indian Hills School is covered with these things. There are wooded areas all around here. I have seen a few white eyed cicadas here. Unfortunately school only ended yesterday so there was alot of foot traffic here and alot of them were dead. These bug intrigue me because i never see them except in their flight form… Do they only emerge from the ground at night? I seem to miss their journey to the tree or pole they evolve on. I’m typically not bothered by bugs but these fellahs seem to like to fly into you since they are novice fliers. Thank u for the website has great information to fill me in on these guys.

  22. Don says:

    I live in Springfield, KY (Washington County) and have a 1/2 acre park like setting for my yard. If I were to guess there are MILLIONS of these Cicada’s that have been coming out of the ground now for about 2 weeks and they are still emerging, climbing whatever they can, then shedding their shell like coverings. In the afternoon the noise is deafening and at the same time totally hypnotic. There is not a branch, leaf or trunk of a tree, shrub, etc.. that is not entirely covered. Oh and the other benefit is that I am saving money on dog food, as I cannot keep the dog from having a feast each time he heads out into the yard!! LOL Well just thought I would let the rest of the world know that the 17 year Cicada’s are alive and well in Central Kentucky.

  23. SUSIE IN MILLS RIVER, NC says:

    WHY HAVEN’T WE SEEN OR HEARD CICADAS IN HENDERSON COUNTY N.C. ?

  24. Pam Johnson says:

    I live in a wooded area in Washburn, TN. The cicadas are very
    busy and loud. I opened my door last night, June 3, and several
    of the little suckers flew in, I was on the phone, jumping around
    and screaming as loud as they were. It was funny to see us
    trying to scoop them back out before any more came in.

  25. Denise Weeks says:

    We were at the Shawnee State Park campgrounds in Portsmouth ,Ohio from 5/28/2008 to 6/01/2008 and while sitting around the fire pit during the day and at night ,we saw all stages of the cicadas, from coming out of the ground to falling out of the tree after coming out of their hard shell. and the singing was loudest early in the morning.

  26. AJC & EJC says:

    5-29-08…Blue Ash Ohio…11:00pm….My son and I with flashlight ablaze finally lost count after 600+ on one tree…looking to be a huge cicada spring here in southwestern Ohio..

  27. Deanna says:

    I live in Winchester, Ky just about 20 minutes SE of Lexington and OMG do we have the Cicadas. Today is May 28th and I was in my back yard and there are literally hundreds of them that have emerged everywhere. Some are already making noise and others just seem to be waking up. It will be a very noisy summer.

  28. Courtney says:

    I was visiting my parents in Crestwood, Kentucky (just outside of Louisville) and saw numerous cicadas today (May 28th). They aren’t making noise yet! I remember back in 2003 when the Brood X variety invaded Louisville, and I killed at least twenty of them with my tennis racket when I was playing a match at the local park. They sure are noisy!!

  29. Diane Zuvich says:

    I live in East Setauket, Long Island, New York and this past weekend (Memorial Day weekend 2008) we have been finding hundreds of cicadas! Their empty shells are all over the base of the trees and on the streets and grass. They are all lining up on the trees, I guess waiting to mate? My kids were really grossed out at first, but now they think it is the coolest thing 🙂 I remember as a kid (some 25 years ago or more) seeing the green cicadas with the clear wings! These are more like an orange/red with black and are pretty big! I am sure they will start singing as so many have already emerged and there a million holes everywhere! All of my neighbors have them too! My one neighbor had to take his liner out of the pool due to alot of holes, and when he lifted the liner there were a million cicadas underneath! At first he thought maybe the local mole ate his liner, but they may be the culprit! I must add I have never heard the birds sing as loud as they are now……..I see them eating the cicadas and seem to be pretty happy they have arrived 🙂

  30. Bart Padgett says:

    I saw the first Cicada’s in our area of Shepherdsville, KY yesterday afternoon (May 27th). I have only seen 2 actual Cicada’s, but probably about 100 shells that were left behind on tree trunks and tree leaves. I have also seen many holes in the ground. They aren’t making much noise yet, but I am sure that will pick up in the next few days as more come up out of the ground.

  31. Kell says:

    We were at Green River, in Adair County, Kentucky, memorial weekend and the cicadas
    were all over the place. They were hanging on the leaves and any place they could
    get. I have never seen them like this before. Amazing but Scarry at the same time.
    We could sit and just watch them shed the shell/skin or what ever you want to call it

  32. Connie says:

    The evening of May 1, 2008 I was cleaning up some old blocks and came across numerous cicads in the nymph stages coming up from the ground. I am in the NW area of the foothills of NC and we did have an outbreakof Cicadas in 2003 as well. I guess this brood(2008) is the 1991 group. We have fun with them and even bought several to my school to show all our elementary school children. So, in maybe another week, we should be infested with these things in the trees???

  33. Vaughn Murray says:

    I was raking leaves this weekend at my property in Union County PA at the base of Jack’s Mountain just north of the Snyder County line (near Millmont) and there are holes all over the place (shade and sun) where they have emerged. I actually found one just out of the hole and it sure looks like one. At least a hundred holes in one square yard area. It will be a noisy summer 🙂

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