Are cicadas locusts? What's the difference and will they be in Ohio in 2024? What to know
And in a few places, they've already been spotted.
No, we're not talking about zombies. The anticipated emergence of Brood XIX and XIII cicadas across 17 states is starting. Get ready for more — lots, lots more. Think trillions.
It's the first time in 221 years that two different broods have emerged at the same time. It won't happen again until 2245, according to ScienceAlert.com.
The sheer volume of the number of cicadas expected to appear has many people comparing them to locusts and wondering what the differences are. Here are the answers to those questions.
Will Ohio have cicadas?
Fortunately, Ohio is not in the path of the two broods appearing across much of the Southeast and Midwest, according to the University of Connecticut. However, you might still spot either brood this spring as "some stragglers may pop up in the southwest of the state," according to Ohio State University's Buckeye Environmental Horticulture Team.
Parts of southern and southwest Ohio will see the emergence of Brood XIV cicadas in 2025, per OSU's Buckeye Environmental Horticulture Team.
Brood XIX will emerge in 14 states across the Southeast and Midwest, and Brood XIII will emerge in five Midwestern states around the same time, USA Today reported. This double emergence is the first time this has happened in 221 years, and it won't happen again until 2245.
Confusingly, Brood XIII emerges every 17 years while Brook XIX resurfaces every 13 years, according to the University of Illinois.
Will cicadas emerging this year fly to Ohio?
Ohio is not expected to see an onslaught of periodical cicadas from either Brood XIX or XIII, but some neighboring states will.
So will the cicadas be able to fly to Ohio? That's unlikely for two reasons.
First, cicadas are clumsy flyers, and their wings are not suitable for long distance travel, according to Science News Explores.
Plus, periodical cicadas emerge only to molt, breed, lay eggs and die, all within a few weeks. They don't spend time looking for new territory. Cicadas typically fly less than half a mile from the spot where they emerge, according to the University of Illinois. So, 17-year cicadas from Abraham Lincoln's day have spread roughly five miles total.
Interactive cicadas 2024 map: Where are they expected to appear?
The two cicada broods will emerge in a combined 17 states across the Southeast and Midwest. Some places in Illinois and Iowa will see both types.
When will the cicadas emerge?
Brood XIX is set to emerge in the spring of 2024 across the Southeast and Midwest. Brood XIII will emerge in five Midwestern states around the same time, according to Cicada Mania.
They begin to emerge when the soil 8 inches underground reaches 64 degrees, and the emergence is often triggered by a warm rain.
How many will emerge? Expect up to 1.5 million cicadas per acre, according to Purdue University.
Cicadas have already been spotted in Arkansas, Tennessee and South Carolina.
How long will the cicadas be around?
Cicadas emerge from underground with one thing in mind. Finding a mate and laying eggs.
That generally takes about a month and a half, according to Purdue University.
Are cicadas locusts?
While people in some areas call cicadas locusts, they are not locusts.
Cicadas are true bugs, in the order Hemiptera, per the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Cicadas suck fluids from trees, according to CicadaMania.
Locusts are the swarming phase of a short-horned grasshopper in the order Orthoptera. They eat crops, sometimes with devastating effects.
A key point: There are no locusts in the U.S. The only type that used to exist was the Rocky Mountain locust, which became extinct in 1902. There is a locust species in Mexico, according to Live Science.
Here's a side-by-side comparison between locusts and cicadas provided by CicadaMania:
Locusts
Order: Orthoptera
Hind Legs: Giant hind legs for jumping.
What they eat: Everything green they can find.
Evidence they're in the area: All plants have been stripped bare.
Cicadas
Order: Hemiptera
Hind Legs: Hind legs are about the same size as other legs, which are great for climbing and perching.
What they eat: Xylem sap (from trees).
Evidence they're in the area: "Cool UFO soundtrack sounds during the day."
If cicadas and locusts aren't the same, why do some people call cicadas locusts?
When this double brood of cicadas last appeared in 1803, the United States was young. Thomas Jefferson was president and there were only 17 states.
The theory is that the huge numbers of cicadas reminded early colonists — as far back as the 1600s — of the biblical plague of locusts in Exodus, so they called them locusts. Some have continued that practice to this day.
Are cicadas dangerous? Do they bite or sting?
Cicadas are not harmful. They don't attack people or pets. They don't bite and they don't sting. Neither do they destroy plants or crops, according to National Geographic Kids.
What they are is loud ... and numerous, but we've covered that already.
The sound made by millions of male cicadas can hit 100 decibels, which is almost like standing 3 feet from a chainsaw.
Need more comparisons?
Pain begins:
Jet engine at 100 feet: 140 decibels
Power mower: 107 decibels
Subway train at 200 feet: 95 decibels
Sustained exposure could result in hearing loss:
City traffic: 85 decibels
Telephone dial tone: 80 decibels
Vacuum cleaner: 75 decibels
Whisper: 25 decibels
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Interactive cicada map: Will they be in Ohio in 2024? What to know
