Kentucky cicadas: When, where the noisy insects may emerge in the state after 17 years
After 17 years underground, cicadas are expected to emerge with a loud buzz this spring and summer — and they may wind up in Kentucky.
The Great Eastern Brood, also known as Brood X, is a type of cicadas expected to come out of the ground this year for the first time since 2004. Brood X cicadas have been documented in Kentucky in past waves, according to data from the University of Connecticut.
While there have been reports of Brood X cicadas all over the state during previous appearances, the insects have been confirmed along interstates 75 and 71, from Boone and Kenton counties down to Henry and Trimble counties, according to University of Connecticut data. A large number of them have also been confirmed in Bullitt and McLean counties.
They’ve been found more sparsely in and around Louisville, Elizabethtown and Breckinridge County.
It’s unlikely that cicadas will emerge statewide this year, according to the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the University of Kentucky. Brood X cicadas will likely only be prevalent along the Tennessee border and in Ohio River counties west of Cincinnati.
Kentucky is one of 15 states expecting the noisy bugs this year, according to USA Today. The others include Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C.
Brood X cicadas have distinctive red eyes and black bodies.
The cicadas will emerge once the temperature of soil 4 inches deep reaches 67 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at the University of Tennessee. That typically happens in early May.
The Washington Post reported that the insects could emerge as late as early June if there is a cold spring.
Cicadas’ loud noises are actually mating sounds, made by male cicadas to attract females. Those mating sounds have been measured at over 90 decibels, according to the Baltimore Sun. For comparison, a motorcycle engine runs at about 95 decibels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Prolonged exposure to noise over 70 decibels can damage your hearing, according to the CDC.
But despite the annoyances, cicadas are actually “mostly beneficial,” according to the National Wildlife Federation.
“They prune mature trees, aerate the soil, and once they die, their bodies serve as an important source of nitrogen for growing trees,” the National Wildlife Federation says.
Cicadas are also eaten by any animal with an “insectivorious diet,” according to the National Wildlife Federation, but there likely will be too many to eat. They emerge in the millions.
This story was originally published March 5, 2021 at 11:28 AM.