A rather punctual bunch of bugs is about to make a return to Pennsylvania — for the first time since 2008.
Meet Brood XIV, a group of cicadas that’s been chilling underground for the past 17 years. Now, they’re clocking back in for a noisy spring debut across at least 13 states, including Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, according to the Washington Post.
The last time these red-eyed party crashers emerged, George W. Bush was in the White House and Donald Trump was handing out “You’re fired!” on “The Apprentice.” A lot has changed up here — but for the cicadas, it’s just another scheduled appearance on their 17-year calendar.
Brood XIV cicadas will likely surface in the warmer states in late April or May, and the cooler states in May or early June, according to the University of Connecticut.
Cicadas come in two varieties — annual and periodical. The ones surfacing this year are part of the second largest periodical group, meaning they emerge in 13- or 17-year intervals.
Pennsylvania usually sees cicadas yearly, but they are different kinds.
Comparatively, annual cicadas have black or green eyes and emerge every year, according to the Post, such as dark-bodied swamp cicadas found in swamps and marshes in the eastern part of the United States.
Brood XIV’s main objectives when they surface this year will be eating and mating, according to the Post.
Adult cicadas live aboveground for three to four weeks and spend their short lives eating plant sap and twigs and trying to mate.
During mating, male cicadas are known for their signature sound: a loud high-pitched buzz used to attract female cicadas, the Post said. After mating, female cicadas make grooves in tree branches, where they lay their eggs.
About six to seven weeks later, the eggs hatch six to seven weeks later, and the translucent nymphs, each about the size of a grain of rice, drop to the ground and burrow into the soil to grow, according to the Post. They will later emerge, beginning the cycle once again.
