For The First Time In 221 Years, A Rare Double Emergence Of Cicadas Is Expected In 2024 In North Carolina

According to an article on Cicada Safari, North Carolina will be a part of a double emergence of cicadas in 2024. A major emergence of the periodical cicadas will start in late April and early May with two different broods. The 17-year Brood XIII will show up in Northern Illinois and the 13-year Brood XIX will appear in parts of the Southeastern United States. This uncommon dual-emergence phenomenon between Broods XIII and XIX occurred last in 1803!

The places the cicadas have emerged in the past are represented by dots, with blue representing Brood XIII and red representing Brood XIX.

Periodical cicadas spend about 13 to 17 years as nymphs nourishing themselves with tree roots, before emerging in April or May and transforming into adult cicadas.

We can see holes in the ground from emerging 17-year cicadas in Woodbridge, Virginia.

In late April and May, nymphs then emerge from the soil to molt into adults that live only a few weeks.

Pictured are Brood XIII cicadas to emerge in Northern Illinois.

To attract females, male cicadas sing a shrill mating call, and after, the females stuff their eggs into the bark or twigs in a double row up to four or five inches long.

These Brood XIX cicadas were mating in Cookeville, Tennessee, which are expected to emerge again in 2024.

Tiny pale nymphs hatch six to ten weeks later and drop to the soil.

These are Brood XIII cicadas.

The first clue that cicadas have arrived are their shells which are shed by the nymphs after they come up out of the ground.

Pictured is the shell of Brood XIX.

In North Carolina, we are looking for cicadas from Brood XIX, such as this one in Chapel Hill.

Help is requested in mapping these cicadas, which is why it is good to know what they look like. To share, just download the free Cicada Safari app from the Apple app store or Google Play.

Seek out these beauties, use your best photography skills, and submit them. After the photos are verified, they will be posted to the live map.

Pictured is a dorsal image of a male cicada of Brood XIX.

Some of the cicadas aren't easily found, such as this one of Brood XIX creeping along the Halls Bend Trail in Monroe County, Tennessee.

Do you see how easily they can blend?

For more information about the double emergence of cicadas in 2024, visit the Cicada Safari website or the NC State Extension website. One way to almost ensure capturing a glimpse of a cicada is by finding a camping spot on TENTRR.

Read about another bug that has been spotted in North Carolina. Or better yet, visit the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences for an up-close and personal experience with all kinds of fascinating creatures.