Two different broods of cicadas will emerge simultaneously this spring for the first time since 1803, one that lives on a 13-year cycle and one that lives on a 17-year cycle.
Bloomington and surrounding areas are safe from these noisy insects, Vince Burkle, Assistant Director of Entomology and Plant Pathology in Indiana Department of Natural Resources, said.
Brood XIII, the 13-year brood, will be most prevalent in Southwest Indiana, in Posey County. There may also be scattered emergence in the counties bordering Illinois, as Illinois will be more affected than Indiana.
Brood XIX, the 17-year brood, will be most prevalent around the Lake Michigan border.
Take a look back at Brood X: Brood X cicadas to emerge this spring
“You will not likely see any of this,” Burkle said. “Well, you could get a few stragglers. It’s not likely. But these periodical cicadas, you will not see. You will see the annual cicadas though, those come out every year.”
The two broods are unlikely to overlap geographically, Burkle said.
The annual cicadas tend to show up in July and into the fall. The two broods part of the rare emergence are periodical broods.
There is unlikely to be significant damage from this emergence, though small trees may be affected. The cicadas lay their eggs in the stems of trees, which can then break off in the wind.
The emergences will not be synced up again for another 221 years.
