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Billions of cicadas will descend upon New York and the mid-Atlantic this month as part of the Brood X emergence. Every 17 years, cicadas (Magicicada cassinii) climb up through the ground to molt into adults, mate and produce new nymphs.
If it sounds horrifying, you're probably not a bug person.
For months, scientists have been alerting the public that the insects will be making their return in May across 15 states, including New York. The large insects, which are 1-2 inches long, are part of the largest brood of periodical cicadas in the nation.
Unlike annual, mostly green, cicadas, periodical cicadas are known for their black bodies and red eyes, as well as for their very loud song, which can exceed 100 decibels, the same level as a jackhammer (something us New Yorkers are very familiar with), according to the American Museum of Natural History.
There are a ton of calculators and interactive maps that claim to predict when you can expect the cicadas to make their appearance, but typically it's early to mid-May when the ground soil reaches 64 degrees. Southern states are usually the first to witness the invasion. This specific brood though has made past appearances as far west as Missouri, as far south as Georgia, as far north as Michigan and as far east as Long Island.
We spoke to expert entomologist Jessica Ware, an associate curator at AMNH, about what we can expect here in NYC so we're not caught off-guard in what will be the biggest insect swarm we've seen in 17 years.
When is NYC likely to experience this?
The last time they came to New York in 2004, they arrived around May 13. Georgia already reported sightings this past weekend. "Maybe this week is our week," Ware told us.
What is this going to look like for NYC?
Long Island will probably get the brunt of it but it's "not impossible" that some will come out from the boroughs. They probably won't be around in downtown Manhattan. If anything, they'll be in more wooded areas because they mostly stay around trees and vegetation.
It's possible that sitting in Prospect Park you might hear them, but it won't be like on Long Island or in New Jersey, which will be getting "a ton," Ware says. "I hope we see as many as we can."
She says in 2004, there weren't as many documented as in years passed, so some experts think that there could be some local extinction.
How long will they be out?
Juvenile cicadas emerge for about three to four weeks—they're eating, mating and singing. So in about a month, they'll be mostly gone, but their dead carcasses will be around in areas where they were more prevalent.
What will it sound like?
Since there are different species in this brood, their songs will vary slightly but will be pretty loud—upwards of 100 decibels. You might hear some clicking or something that sounds like someone calling "weeeee-whoa" or "
"The average person doesn't distinguish between them if they're all calling at once," Ware said. "But if you're in a quiet spot in the park and listened carefully, you could pick a few different songs."
When we go out, is there anything we can do to avoid them?
You won't have to run from door to door to avoid them, especially in NYC. If they arrive in NYC at all, they'll stick to tree bark and plants because they tend to avoid humans.
What do we do if we see a lot of dead cicadas? Do we keep our pets away from them?
"Don't be alarmed," Ware said. "You're going to see a lot of dead things [wherever they populate]—thousands in any one given area. It can be shocking to see them piled up."
And if Fido starts gobbling down one of their carcasses, don't freak out. They're "great for pets," she said. "They're a great piece of nutrition."
What else should we know about Brood X?
"I still have to remind myself that the nymphs crawling out of the ground and onto the trees to adulthood are 17 years old. They're a very long-lived insect and it's pretty special to have this lifespan."
If you want to help record the brood, you can do so on Cicada Safari, an app for your phone.
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