Cicadas from Brood XIX emerge in Lincoln County

BROOKHAVEN — Maps from Mississippi State University Extension Service did not show Lincoln County as one of 17 counties to expect cicadas from the Brood XIX. Lincoln County Extension Service reported some of the Brood XIX have emerged in Lincoln County today.

Information published this spring stated the special periodical cicadas would appear in 17 northern Mississippi Counties around Starkville, Columbus and Tupelo but not in our neck of the woods. Annual cicadas will likely appear in Lincoln County in June though.

Cicadas from the Brood XIX have spent the last 13 years in the ground in their nymphal stage feeding on roots of hardwood trees. They will not cause any harm unless it is to your ears. If you find nymphal skins they are likely around. Lincoln County Extension Office states the numbers will likely not be as big as the perodical cicada emergence in 2015 and 2028.

Lincoln County Extension Agent Tristan Peavey said people who find perodical cicadas can report their sightings to the MSU extension service by calling 601-835-3460 or emailing mtp161@msstate.edu. He added it is possible the cicadas could be early risers from Brood XXIII which is supposed to emerge in 2028.

Some individual annual cicadas emerge during any given year and spend one to nine years underground as nymphs. According to Mississippi State Extension Service, annual cicadas in Mississippi are winged with greenish bodies and prominent, bulging eyes. Mississippi has 20 species of annual cicadas, mostly in the Tibicen genus, and the songs vary considerably.

Lincoln County will see periodical cicadas in the summer of 2028 as part of Brood XXIII. These periodical cicadas belong to the Magicicada genus and have black bodies and orange eyes, legs and wings.

Adult annual cicadas are harmless and cause little damage to trees. The nymphes can cause minor damage to trees by sucking sap out of the tree roots.

According to Turkeys for Tomorrow, massive cicada emergences are reported by states to correspond with higher hen to poult ratios that year. Mesopredators such as raccoons, skunks, foxes and coyotes are known to eat cicadas and may target the bugs over hens, eggs and poults.

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