PENNSYLVANIA, USA — 2024 is expected to be the year of cicadas for some; luckily, it looks like Pennsylvania will be spared.
Two groups of cicadas- known as broods- will wake up and emerge simultaneously in 2024, a rare event, according to Vox. There will likely be billions, if not trillions, of the insects in affected states. According to an article by NPR, the last time these two broods emerged at the same time was in 1803.
According to a map by the US Forest Service, a 17-year group called Brood XIII, which is concentrated in Northern Illinois and a 13-year clutch, Brood XIX, which is concentrated in Southern Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and throughout the southeast will emerge.
For the most part, cicadas do very little. According to Vox, they remain underground, sucking sugar out of tree roots. Then, following a years-long hibernation, they will emerge from the ground, sprouting wings, making noise, mating and then dying several weeks later.
It's believed that cicadas emerge as an evolution strategy. The rationale is that there are so many swarming cicadas all at once that their predators- mainly birds and small mammals- can't make an impactful dent in their numbers.
However, many questions still surround the noisy bugs, such as how they keep such precise timing.
According to Cicada Mania, cicadas typically emerge in May when the soil eight inches beneath the ground reaches 64 degrees Fahrenheit. A nice, warm rain will trigger an emergence, the website states.
Pennsylvania experienced the emergence of Brood X in 2021. Though they may be pesky, cicadas benefit local ecosystems by providing nutrients to birds and plants when they die. Another benefit is that the bugs- though noisy- are completely harmless.