Overview

• Billions of Brood XIV periodical cicadas are currently emerging across the Eastern U.S. from Georgia to New York as part of their 17-year cycle.
• The emergence is triggered when soil temperatures reach roughly 64°F following warm spring rains, prompting nymphs to dig to the surface and climb vertical surfaces.
• After shedding their nymphal skins, adult cicadas produce their characteristic loud buzzing calls to attract mates and then females lay eggs in tree branches.
• This brood is the second-largest on record behind Brood XIX, and its mass emergence serves as a vital protein source for birds, small mammals and even human foragers.
• According to the EPA, the cicadas pose no threat to humans, pets, crops or gardens and do not bite or sting during their brief above-ground lifespan.