Cicadas expected to emerge in Cincinnati

  • 2017-05-05
Cincinnati could set to welcome some small and noisy residents a little earlier than had been expected.

Cicadas are insects that attract their mates with a loud buzz, a noise familiar to most people. They have either a 13- or 17-year life cycle, are grouped into ‘broods’ depending on how long the period is between their appearances, and where they are.

In Cincinnati, Brood X should not emerge until 2021. However, some of the insects emerged four years ahead of schedule, appearing in 2000 rather than 2004. It's now believed their descendants will appear early again, arriving this year instead of 2021, according to an article on WCPO.com.

Gene Kritsky of Mount Saint Joseph University says residents of Cincinnati and the Tri-State area could see as many as one million cicadas appear between May and June of this year. However, he goes on to warn that the number is miniscule when compared to the billion or more that could appear in 2021, an event he calls the ‘cicada apocalypse’.

In the 2000 event, the insects were seen in Hyde Park, Finneytown, and Northside, among many other local areas. Brood X can be found throughout Indiana and Western Ohio, and from Michigan to Tennessee, as well as parts of New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. Researchers at the University could use the public's help in mapping the cicadas' emergency, and have given details on the website

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