Emerging from the ground, once every 13 years and another every 17 years, is a cicada brood. A brood is essentially “A family of young animals produced at one hatching or birth”. However, it’s been at least 200 years since they last emerged together at the same time.
Cicadas are bugs that spend most of their life underground. Once hatched, they burrow themselves underground. But, this is not where they hibernate. Instead these insects are very active as they proceed to feed off sap from tree roots, and digging tunnels when they are in their wingless nymph stage. All until they mature enough to come up to the surface, molting their skin and trying to attract a mate.
A map from the U.S. Department of Agriculture tracks and showcases both the 13 and 17 year cicada broods from 2013 till 2029.
“Two broods are coming together in some areas, but not all areas. So for example, by Chicago, we are only going to be affected by one. Whereas if you go downstate, a little bit more towards like Champaign, they’re going to be impacted by the double broods,” AP Environmental Science teacher, Drew Plumb said.
Chicago will mainly be hit by brood XIX (17 year), where the last cycle had emerged as far back as 2007.
Only the male cicadas have the tymbal organ, which attracts females so that they can mate. Male cicadas will start singing just 4-5 days after emerging from the ground. Cicadas are apart of the “True Bug” family, sharing similarities with stink bugs, bed bugs, and even aphids. Unlike some of these bugs, cicadas do not bite. They eat neither leaves, flowers, or fruits of any kind, yet they may indulge in some sap and shrubs. These bugs don’t pose much of a threat, as the most they will do is startle a person. However, many feel unsettled by their existence over previous experiences or perhaps due to the fact that they’re a bug.
“I was swimming in the pool. And I came up, opened my mouth. And in when a cicada, that was in the pool, and it was now trying to fly to get out of my mouth,” Brianne Ferreiro said.
Predators like birds, mammals, bats, and spiders all eat cicadas, which help maintain a well balanced food web. As more of them emerge, predators are provided with a more valuable food supply.
“Cicadas are weird man. I like the sound they make, but God are they creepy looking. I can’t handle the mental image of seeing a bunch dead on the ground this summer. I hope the birds eat them faster,” senior and bug lover Enaya Kazmi said.
Cicadas often damage trees when laying their eggs, as they create slits in twigs for protecting the next cycle of bugs. However, older trees don’t seem to be as affected by these little bugs in comparison to more youthful trees. Sometimes cicadas benefit trees by pruning off weaker branches that the tree then doesn’t need to waste energy to strengthen.
“If you’re in an area that’s older and has more mature trees, you’re going to have more cicadas. the older the tree, the longer they’ve (cicadas) been able to lay their eggs,” Ferreiro said.
Although some opinions of these insects are negative, they prove beneficial to the ecosystem. Aerating lawns, improving water filtration in the ground, allowing bigger organisms a snack, and even just contributing nutrients into the soil upon decomposition. There isn’t much to do in order to prevent the cycle. However, both broods won’t both hatch at the same time like this in a solid while.
“This doesn’t happen very often when they overlap. It hasn’t happened over for over 200 years and it’s not gonna happen again for like another 200 years,” Plumb said.
