All About Cicadas

Meet the Cicadas!

Cicadas are fascinating insects belonging to the order Hemiptera, the same group that includes stink bugs, assassin bugs, and boxelder bugs. If you’re hearing their loud chorus this season, you’re not alone—they’re making their presence known!

The Underground Life of Cicadas

Cicadas spend most of their lives underground, maturing through four stages called instars. During this time, they feed on the sap of trees, shrubs, and other plants. As the sap changes with the seasons, cicadas detect these changes and get ready to emerge. Once they come out, adult cicadas have a short but busy life of three to four weeks to find mates and lay eggs before their time is up. Just as they emerge together, cicadas also wrap up their season together.

Types of Cicadas

Periodical Cicadas

These cicadas, also known as "brood cicadas," are famous for their synchronized emergence every 13 or 17 years. With 15 different broods noted by Roman numerals, this year saw a special event with two broods emerging simultaneously (Brood XIII and Brood XIX).

How to Spot Them:

• Chunky, black bodies

• Orange wings

• Bright red eyes

Periodical cicadas usually start popping out weeks to months before their annual counterparts. This year, they made their grand entrance in April and bid farewell by late May.

Annual Cicadas

Also called "jar flies" or "dog-day cicadas," these critters make an appearance every year. They’re nearly TWICE the size of brood cicadas and their lifecycles overlap, with generations maturing underground for 2 to 5 years before emerging.

How to Spot Them:

• Large, green bodies

• Transparent, slightly green wings

• Dark eyes

You’ll typically hear their buzzing song from mid-summer through early fall, depending on the region and temperatures.

Luck and Prosperity:

To some cultures the cicada is believed to bring good luck and prosperity! In some European countries they are proudly displayed as good luck charms in pottery and fabrics.

Bug Lovers (aaaand maybe haters too) Rejoice!

Curious about more bug facts? The pros at Mosquito Elite are here to help! We’re your go-to source for up-to-date pest trends and information. Reach out to Mosquito Elite today to chat with a Pest Control Pro and get answers to all your insect questions!

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