Image of three insects with wings climbing on a plant

Cicadas are just over an inch long. End-to-end, 1 trillion cicadas would reach to the moon and back 33 times!

Enigma/Alamy Stock Photo 

Insect Invasion!

Starting this month, more than a trillion insects will dig themselves out of the ground like zombies. They’ll shed their outer shells and spread their wispy wings. After tunneling their way out of the dirt, these cicadas (sih-KAY-duhz) will cover trees, cling to grass, and blanket driveways.  

Most species of cicadas emerge once a year. But this spring, two massive groups will arrive in the Midwest and Southeast. They’ve been underground since before fourth-graders were born. Brood XIX comes out once every 13 years. The cicadas in Brood XIII appear only once every 17 years.

It will be the first time in 221 years that the two groups emerge at the same time. Last time that happened, Thomas Jefferson was president!

Make Some Noise 

Crunch! A trillion cicadas will leave behind huge piles of their outer shells on lawns, streets, and sidewalks. These exoskeletons make a crunching sound when people step on them. But that’s not the only noise people will hear. 

Male cicadas make a shrill buzzing sound to attract females. The sound of millions of cicadas making their mating call can be louder than a rock concert!

The Cicada Cycle 

Female cicadas dig holes into tree branches and lay their eggs. After that, their time will soon be up. All the adult cicadas in Broods XIX and XIII will die before summer arrives.

But their offspring, called nymphs, will live on. After hatching, the nymphs will fall to the ground and burrow into the soil. There they’ll slowly develop for the next 13 or 17 years. Then the cycle will start all over again.

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

The cicadas in Broods XIX and XIII are expected to emerge in 17 states.

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