Cicada hatch 2024: Here's why they're showing up in unexpected places in Mississippi

Brian Broom, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
·3 min read

The historic cicada emergence is underway when two groups, Brood XIX and XIII, come up from the ground simultaneously for the first time in over 200 years.

In parts of Mississippi, Brood XIX is emerging, and they're showing up and singing in places where they weren't expected.

So, why are they being reported in new areas and what should you do if they're spotted in areas where they haven't been reported before?

"It's not new distribution," said Blake Layton, Mississippi State University Extension entomology specialist. "It's not that they're in new places.

"There's been a lot more interest in cicadas this year and a lot more than in the past. Everybody knew it was coming and were watching for them."

So, awareness has been high and people are noticing them outside of the counties where they were reported during the last emergence of the brood in 2011. Here are the counties where they were reported then.

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Expected cicada Brood XIX emergence in MS based on 2011 reports

  • Chickasaw County

  • Choctaw County

  • Clay County

  • Itawamba County

  • Jasper County

  • Kemper County

  • Leake County

  • Lee County

  • Lowndes County

  • Monroe County

  • Newton County

  • Neshoba County

  • Noxubee County

  • Oktibeha County

  • Pontotoc County

  • Scott County

  • Winston County

However, reports of cicadas have come from Copiah County, Hinds County and Lincoln County. Layton said he's had a report from Webster County and likely will have reports from additional counties.

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Some cicadas may be confused

Different species of cicadas are on different cycles. Periodical cicadas are those that spend many years underground as nymphs before emerging and hatching from their shells. Brood XIX is on a 13-year cycle. There are others on 13-year cycles as well, but their cycles don't coincide with Brood XIX.

However, some can become confused on timing and surface before the remainder of the brood. So, some people could be seeing cicadas from other broods that occupy areas outside the Brood XIX range.

Layton said something else that could be happening is people are seeing cicadas in counties where their range is limited. People could be noticing them in counties where the bugs only occupy a small portion of the county and weren't documented before.

Again, it goes back to awareness and excitement over the event.

What if I find a Brood XIX cicada in a new area?

Brood XIX is made up of four different species and they're emerging right now. Layton said by early June their numbers will begin to dwindle as they mate, die and their offspring start the process over again.

After that, there will be smaller hatches of other cicadas which happen each year.

So, what should you do if you come across cicadas between now and mid-June in an area where they haven't been documented? Layton said report it so scientists can keep track of where the bugs live.

"If people are seeing significant numbers in an area where they weren't reported, contacting the county agent would be the thing to do," Layton said. "Collecting some would also help."

Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Here's why cicadas are showing up in unexpected places in Mississippi