Brood X Returns After 17 Year Absence

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An adult Magicicada septendecim by Dan Mozgai/cicadamania.com

Well kids, as COVID cases decrease, and murder hornets have seemingly disappeared from our headline, there is still a little matter of Brood X re-emerging into our lives after a 17 year absence.

What is Brood X?

Brood X (Brood 10), the Great Eastern Brood, is one of 15 broods of periodical cicadas that appear regularly throughout the eastern United States. It has the greatest range and concentration of any of the 17-year cicadas.

Every 17 years, Brood X cicadas tunnel en masse to the surface of the ground, lay eggs, and then die off in several weeks. The combination of long dormancy, simultaneous emergence of vast numbers, and short period before the nymphs’ burrowing underground to safety, allows the brood to survive even massive predation.

Brood X’s most recent appearance was in the spring and early summer of 2004 throughout an area roughly enclosed by Illinois, Michigan, New York and Georgia.

The next appearance of the brood will occur in the summer of 2021, and will emerge in 15 states, which are Delaware, Illinois, Georgia, Indiana, New York, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Michigan, as well as in Washington D.C.

When Will Swarmageddon 2021 Start?

According to cicadamania.com: Typically beginning in mid-May and ending in late June. These cicadas will begin to emerge approximately when the soil 8″ beneath the ground reaches 64 degrees Fahrenheit. A nice, warm rain will often trigger an emergence. Back in 2004, people began reporting emergences around May, 13th.

What To Know

  • Buzzing loud noises are attractive to Cicadas, particularly Magicicada periodical cicadas, are attracted to lawnmowers, weed-whackers, leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, power drills, etc. If it is loud and vibrates, cicadas will be attracted to it. Like your AC unit.
  • It gets really loud
  • In 2004 in Wilson County, TN where I was living at the time, there were so many you could hear them crunching under your tires.
  • Hold off planting your trees until July, unless you don’t see any by the first week of June, then proceed as usual. Cicadas will lay eggs on trees and it’s the egg laying that kill young trees.
  • Don’t let your pets gorge on them. They will get sick.

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