Cicadas 2024: See photos of the rare double brood emergence across the U.S.
Broods XIX and XIII are emerging simultaneously this year — the first time since 1803.
From conversations on social media to Saturday Night Live sketches, the emergence of the cicadas in 2024 has piqued the interest of plenty of people across the country.
Trillions of cicadas are emerging this year across the Southeast and Midwestern United States. Photos show the cicadas and their bright red eyes swarming trees, car tires and even each other.
There are two types of cicadas: ones that emerge every year and ones that emerge every 13 or 17 years. The broods, or families of cicadas, that are emerging this year, along with the annual ones, are Brood XIX and Brood XIII — which haven’t emerged at the same time in 221 years.
First spotted in April, their emergence happened once the underground soil reached 64 degrees, and is expected to last through the end of June. Most of the country is expected to see Brood XIX. The cicadas are expected to emerge in 15 states as well as Washington, D.C. Illinois is projected to see a dual emergence, with Brood XIII joining its younger cicada class.
The Environmental Protection Agency says cicadas aren’t dangerous to people, pets, gardens or crops. While the buzzing cicadas can get loud (80 to 120 decibels), it isn’t anything to be worried about, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The EPA also says that young trees may need protection from damage that could occur when cicadas deposit their eggs. Aside from that, the cicadas will eventually go away and don’t need to be a concern, especially since their decomposed bodies will add nutrients back to the soil — which the EPA says will happen about eight weeks after they emerge from the ground.
