The Brood XIV periodical cicadas will emerge in 13 states — Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia — in spring 2025. (Shutterstock),
Millions of periodical cicadas will tunnel out of their underground homes for the past 17 years this spring or early summer in 13 states this spring for one brief shot at continuing their species in a complex evolutionary strategy bug scientists say is nothing short of amazing.
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The Brood XIV periodical cicada emergence won’t come close to matching 2024’s rare dual cicada emergence in which billions of 13- and 17-year cicadas came out of the ground in what amounts to a weeks-long insect sex party across parts of the Southeast and Midwest, especially Illinois, where both broods emerged.
States that will see — and hear — cicadas emerge from ground in a cacophony of noise are Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
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Some early bloomers from Brood I, a group of 17-year periodical cicadas, may emerge early in parts of Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, may emerge ahead of the 2029 schedule, according to Cicadamania, which tracks periodical cicadas.
Here’s what you need to know about periodical cicadas in 2025:
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When Will Cicadas Emerge?
Typically, it’s safe for cicadas to come out of the ground when the soil 8 inches below the surface gets to 64 degrees Fahrenheit. They’ll come out in sunny areas first, and then in shady areas.
Usually, this happens from mid-April to mid-May, but the severity of the winter can greatly affect this.
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How Do Periodical And Annual Cicadas Differ?
Periodical cicadas, which have regional broods, emerge en masse every 13 or 17 years as part of a complex evolutionary strategy, while annual cicadas emerge every year, usually in July and August.
Periodical cicadas have red eyes — although some rare blue-eyed cicadas were discovered by young citizen scientists in Illinois last year — and have smaller bodies than annual cicadas. Their bodies are black with orange wing veins, while annual cicadas have green to brown bodies with black markings and a whitish bloom.
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Both start underground as nymphs feeding on the roots of trees, and have similar post-emergency life cycles, and their goal during their brief time above ground is the same, to find a mate.
What’s Behind Cicadas’ Evolutionary Strategy?
Scientists can’t fully explain periodic cicadas’ survival strategy. One theory is that their periodic emergence is timed to avoid certain predators. If they emerged every 16 years, for example, predators with two-year life cycles could easily wipe out these ungainly insects.
The main hypothesis is that it’s very difficult for predators to have a similar 13- or 17-year life cycles that would allow them to focus on periodical cicadas, according to Tulane University biologist Keith Clay. He calls the emergence of periodical cicadas “one of the most unusual biological phenomena on Earth.”
Another theory is that cicadas, which are lousy flyers and a veritable fast-food buffet for predators like copperheads, have adapted to ensure they don’t all get eaten up.
If these evolutionary superstars of the bug world came out every 16 years, for example, predators with two-, four- and eight-year cycles would be around at the same time of year to eat them, according to Clay.
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Another hypothesis about the synchronized emergence of periodical cicadas is that the forced developmental delay was an adaptation to climate cooling during the ice ages.
How Loud Are Cicadas?
Because their brief time above ground is so fraught with danger, periodical cicadas time their synchronized emergence at night when many of their predators are sleeping.
The strategy isn’t perfect, though. Male cicadas announce their arrival to female cicadas by using the drum-like structures on their abdomens, called tymbals, to create a deafening chorus in areas when large numbers of these true bugs emerge simultaneously.
They are very, very loud.
Their chirping — incessant chirping, many say — can reach 100 decibels, as loud as a Harley-Davidson motorcycle with straight pipes or a jackhammer running full bore into concrete or a lawn mower cutting through tall grass.
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It’s short-lived. Cicadas live only a few weeks above ground — long enough to reproduce.
What Species Prey On Cicadas?
For copperheads, the venomous snakes found in the states with a periodical cicada emergence this year, cicadas are a cheap and easy fast-food buffet.
Cicadas are a “pretty easy snack” for the normally solitary copperheads, Stephen Richter, an Eastern Kentucky University biology professor, told Tulsa World in 201He and his students were working with the U.S. Forest Service in National Boone National Forest at the time, looking at what the federal agency saw as a potential conflict and threat to campers: the convergence of copperheads and emerging cicadas.
Given the opportunity, birds and dogs will eat them, too. There’s no need to worry if your dog eats and then hacks up a cicada. The biggest problem is the exoskeletons may be a tad hard for pets to digest, so they may have upset tummies, according to the Pet Poison Helpline.
People Eat Cicadas, Too
People are predators, too, and many consider cicadas a rare delicacy.
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Arthropods like shrimp, lobster and crab, cicadas are often called the “shrimp of the land,” and when prepared, their taste is often compared to that of shrimp. These nutrient-dense bugs are high in protein and low in fat and can be prepared in a variety of ways.
They can be fried up like “the shrimp of the land” and served with a hot mustard dipping sauce; infused in Malört, an already maligned Chicago-centric concoction; or baked into a cake or pie.
Last year’s dual emergence gave adventurous chefs a good supply to perfect cicada cuisine.
Cicada cuisine aficionados recommend looking for freshly hatched cicada first thing in the morning. It’s a good idea to boil them for a few minutes to make them more tender and also to kill any fungus or bacteria cicadas may have contracted during their years underground. Removing their legs and arms is a good idea, too.
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