Billions of buzzing cicadas will emerge across multiple states this spring

As winter melts away, spring begins to blossom – and buzz with the sound of cicadas.This year, the cohort of cicadas known as “Brood XIV” will emerge from the ground and, much like many other animals during spring, begin looking for a mate.In fact, the buzzing sound cicadas are known for is actually part of this courtship ritual, as the males produce the noise to attract females.While this cicada phenomenon occurs every year, for Brood XIV and many other cicadas, it’s a small part of multiyear, multigenerational cycles that are connected to geography, the seasons and the weather.The cicadas of Brood XIV emerge from the ground every 17 years. This means that the last time they saw the Sun, President George W. Bush was nearing the end of his presidency and Apple was about to launch the App Store.When exactly they will begin reaching the surface will depend on their location and the weather they will experience, according to Gene Kritsky, Professor Emeritus of Biology at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati and founder of CicadaSafari.org.In terms of weather, Kritsky said the insects emerge after the soil temperature reaches between 64 and 65 degrees and after rain has soaked the ground.  WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ANNUAL AND PERIODICAL CICADAS?When these conditions are met depends largely on where the cicadas are located.Brood XIV – which includes fellow 17-year-cycle species Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada cassini and Magicicada septendecula – are scattered between the South and the Northeast. Being so spread out geographically leads to variations in the timing of their emergence.The cicadas will start emerging around the third week of April in northern Georgia, where warm weather conditions will likely hit first, according to Kritsky.After Georgia, and if this spring should be similar to last year’s, Kritsky said that Brood XIV cicadas in other states will emerge in the following roughly south-to-north sequence:Kritsky said that, once the cicadas of an area begin to emerge, they will take two full weeks to come out of the ground. The insects will then be above ground and living in trees for six weeks.After about five days of being above ground, the males will start producing their buzzing sounds. As more cicadas emerge, that buzzing sound will grow and become loud for about two weeks.HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER”The trees will just be screaming with all these males singing,” Kritsky said. “I have measured the intensity – the highest I’ve ever measured is 102 decibels. Commonly, you’ll see them coming in at 90 decibels. That’s louder than the planes landing at Dulles.”Once the male cicadas find their mates, the females will lay their eggs in the trees. After that, all the adult cicadas begin to die. So, the buzzing sound will diminish about five weeks after the initial emergence.As the eggs hatch and cicada nymphs are born, the nymphs of Brood XIV will drop to the ground, burrow their way into the soil, and then begin their 17-year cycle by feeding off of the roots of grass and trees, according to Kritsky.