Will Ohio get cicadas this year? What to know about the insects and incoming broods

The buzzing bugs are back, and this time, with a droning double feature.

Two cicada broods, the 17-year "Northern Illinois Brood" (Brood XIII) and the 13-year "Great Southern Brood" (Brood XIX), are emerging during the same year for the first time in 221 years, spanning as far east as North Carolina and as far west as Missouri, as far south as Louisiana and as far north as Wisconsin.

Here's what to know about cicadas ahead of the 2024 double emergence.

What are cicadas exactly and why should I care?

Cicadas are insects found in North America, consisting of more than 3,000 species. They're between an inch and two inches long, with small bristle-like antennae and four clear wings, and some of them — seven species to be exact — only come up from underground in groups known as "broods" once every 13 or 17 years to reproduce.

Those are "periodic" cicadas, as opposed to the annual or non-periodic cicadas that have a one-year life cycle that's finished with a trip to the surface in late summer.

Scientists still aren't sure why periodic cicadas emerge every 13 or 17 years in broods, but they theorize that it's an evolutionary adaptation to avoid being preyed upon; not only will predators be overwhelmed when millions of cicadas breach aboveground at once, they'll get their fill of prey quickly and plenty of cicadas will be left over to produce another generation of cicadas.

In the duration of those 13 or 17 years, immature cicadas feed on sap from the roots of perennial plants and wait for the day they can emerge as adults.

What is the difference between annual and periodical cicadas?

There are two types of cicadas that are common in Eastern U.S. states: Annual and periodical cicadas. Annual cicadas emerge every year, while periodical cicadas emerge every 13 or 17 years, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Will Ohio have cicadas this year?

Fortunately, Ohio is not in the path of the two broods set to emerge across much of the Southeast and Midwest, according to the University of Connecticut.

When was the last time Ohio got cicadas?

Ohioans most recently saw cicadas emerge in 2016 on the eastern half of the state, and in 2021 along the southwestern corner of the state .

This year, two different groups, or broods, of cicadas will emerge across multiple states with one singular goal: mating and laying millions of more eggs.

After 13 years, Brood XIX (19) is set to emerge in 14 states across the Southeast and Midwest this spring, and the 17-year 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 won't happen again until 2245.

Broods XIX and XIII: Check out the 2024 cicada map

This year, the emergence of Brood XIII and Brood XIX at the same time creates a much larger cicada span. Their reach is expected to span across 17 states to be exact, with some overlap of the two broods in Illinois and Indiana.

Where is the closest area to Ohio to see cicadas in 2024?

Parts of western Indiana and all of Illinois will be the best bet for Ohioans looking to see a swarm of bugs within a drive of a couple hours. There's even a part of eastern Illinois south of Chicago where both broods overlap.

How are this year's cicadas different than the cicadas in 2021?

In 2021, 17-year Brood X or "The Great Eastern Brood" invaded the eastern U.S., in states like Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, Indiana and more, including parts of southeast Michigan. But even then, the numbers were lacking compared to previous emergences, relieving those with entomophobia and disappointing entomologists.

"Broods change in size and geographic range from emergence to emergence primarily because of human development. They need tree and shrub hosts that are present for their whole life cycle, so if wooded areas are cleared in the years between emergences, those populations will be reduced or potentially eliminated entirely," said Hannah Burrack, professor and chair of the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University.

What is the life cycle of a cicada?

Cicadas have the longest life cycle of any insect, waiting 13 or 17 years to emerge. But once they're above ground, things move pretty fast, USA TODAY reported.

Female cicadas lay eggs in trees. When the eggs hatch, the young cicada nymphs drop to the ground and burrow, waiting for years to emerge, depending on their brood. Once they emerge, adult cicadas will mate, lay millions of eggs and then die, all in about five weeks.

When will the cicadas emerge?

Research has shown that cicadas are triggered to emerge when soil temperatures reach 64 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, leading scientists to estimate that the insects will begin popping out sometime in late April or May.

The cicadas won't stick around for too long, though. They'll come out, drone on a bit in search of a mate, lay eggs if they're female, and about a month after emerging, they'll die.

Are cicadas dangerous?

Cicadas are virtually harmless. They don't bite or sting and they don't feed on animals or plants — other than the fluids they suck out of woody shrubs and trees.

The only point of concern that Burrack brings up is if you live in a place where cicadas are expected to emerge and have just planted baby shrubs or trees because female cicadas usually target twigs or thin branches to deposit their eggs. In egg masses, this can damage the young plant, so you can wrap the plant in garden cloth or row cover fabric to shield them from female cicadas.

USA TODAY, The Detroit Free Press, The Columbus Dispatch and The Cincinnati Enquirer contributed to this report .

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Will Ohio get cicadas this year? What to know about the insects and incoming broods