April 2025
The exact timing is unpredictable, but periodical cicadas wait until the ground warms to 64 degrees to come out. For most states, that happens in May or June.
You might begin to notice small holes appearing in the ground as nymphs emerge to the big, bright world above the surface. If there's a nice soaking rain, that really causes them to pop.
They’ll look for anything they can climb, including trees, fence posts, or exterior home walls, where they will then shed their outermost layer of skin and enter their adult phase. The initial emergence phase lasts for about two weeks and you’ll have cicadas for the next six weeks.
Cicadas emerge where there are trees to ascend for finding a mate. They do not appear on open land. Only the male cicadas “sing”.
The female will lay her eggs in a split that she makes in the tree’s youngest branches. This does not kill the tree and can actually be beneficial because it‘s like a natural pruning. Eggs will hatch in six to ten weeks and the newly hatched nymphs simply fall from the trees and head straight into the soil. Adult periodical cicadas’ lifespan is only about two weeks as they climb trees, mate, shed their skins and generally make a racket.
Despite their overwhelming numbers and loud mating calls, cicadas are harmless to humans and beneficial to local ecology. They do not typically carry any sorts of disease and they do not hurt pets either. Though they are often considered to be pests, cicadas serve as a nutritious food source for birds and they even enrich the soil! It's important to remember that while they can be quite loud, they do not sting or bite. Just ignore them (if you can!).