Tastes like asparagus? Will Florida cicadas emerge en masse in 2024?
Florida doesn't have to worry about the massive numbers of cicadas that will emerge this year across several states in the South and Midwest.
Florida has its own problems with insects, all 1,366 types of them. Yes, it looks like Insect Identification counted them and no, that's not the total number of insects in the state! But yes, there are cicadas in Florida.
This year two different groups, or broods, of cicadas will emerge across several states with one singular goal: mating and laying more eggs.
It's the first time in 221 years the two different broods have emerged at the same time. It won't happen again until 2245, according to ScienceAlert.com.
The last time these two broods emerged together was in 1803, according to CicadaMania.
What cicadas are expected to emerge in 2024?
Brood XIX is set to emerge in the spring of 2024 across the Southeast and Midwest. Brood XIII will emerge in five Midwestern states around the same time, according to Cicada Mania.
Cicadas 2024 map: See where the different cicada broods will emerge
Brood XIX (19) is estimated to emerge in these states beginning mid-May and lasting through late June:
Alabama.
northwest Arkansas.
northwest Georgia.
southeast Iowa.
southern Illinois.
southwest Indiana.
western Kentucky.
northern Louisiana.
Maryland, in St. Mary's County.
Mississippi.
Missouri.
central North Carolina.
eastern Oklahoma.
western South Carolina.
Tennessee.
eastern Virginia.
Brood XIII (13) will emerge in these states in mid-May and ending in late June:
northern Illinois.
Indiana, near Lake Michigan.
eastern Iowa.
southern Wisconsin.
Does Florida have cicadas?
Yes, there are 19 types of cicadas in Florida, which are grouped by size, according to the University of Florida.
Unlike the types expected to emerge in huge numbers elsewhere this year, Florida's cicadas do not come out in massive periodic cycles. Instead, adult cicadas in Florida emerge every year.
Just like their northern cousins, Florida cicadas spend most of their lives underground. How long is unknown, except "that the minimum seems to be four years under natural conditions," UF researchers said. Just think about that as you tromp across the yard or go on a hike.
Tastes like asparagus, or shrimp, or peanut butter. Cicadas are edible and not just for birds
Did you forget to bring a snack with you? Cicadas are edible. What eats cicadas? Cicada Mania put it this way: "everything with a mouth will eat a cicada."
Cicadas provide food for all kinds of wildlife, including birds, small mammals and even other insects, according to the University of Florida.
"Newly emerged adults are easily caught and have been used for food by humans, either raw or cooked, and are even credited with having saved some family groups from starvation early in the history of North America," UF researchers said.
"Periodical cicadas are best eaten when they are still white, and they taste like cold canned asparagus," according to Cicada Safari. "Like all insects, cicadas have a good balance of vitamins, are low in fat, and, especially the females, are high in protein."
Others claim cicadas taste like shrimp or even peanut butter, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
They've been eaten raw, boiled, grilled, stuffed and deep fried.
Oh, and they don't bite or sting. And unlike mosquitoes and several other Florida critters, they "harbor no organisms harmful to vertebrates." So if your pets decide to nosh on a few during a walk, they should be fine.
If you're allergic to shellfish, note they may cause a reaction.
How loud are cicadas?
The din from millions of male cicadas can hit 100 decibels, which is almost like standing three feet from a chainsaw.
Need more comparisons?
Pain begins
Jet engine at 100 feet: 140 decibels
Power mower: 107 decibels
Subway train at 200 feet: 95 decibels
Sustained exposure could result in hearing loss
City traffic: 85 decibels
Telephone dial tone: 80 decibels
Vacuum cleaner: 75 decibels
Whisper: 25 decibels
Sweet harmony? Listen to calls of Florida cicadas
Not sure if what you're hearing is a cicada? The Orthopterists' Society posted the "songs" of several Florida cicadas recorded in Alachua County. Click on a name to listen to the sounds.
Can't get enough? Here are more than 50 cicada calls from Cicada Mania.
How many periodical cicadas emerge at any given time?
Millions? Billions? Trillions? Those are the estimates. We haven't found anyone who has actually counted them.
Some estimates put cicada numbers at 1.5 million per acre, according to Virginia Tech. Isn't that a pleasant thought?
The huge numbers of cicadas that emerge on their periodic cycles are intentional and called predator saturation. Need an image to relate to? How often can you hit the all-you-can-eat buffet?
How do you pronounce cicada?
The most popular ways are ci-KAY-duh or si-KAH-duh, according to Cicada Mania.
Cicadas are not locusts
Locusts are grasshoppers. While cicadas, especially in 2024, may emerge in biblical proportions, they still aren't locusts.
"The term locust started to be used around 1715 in the English colonies, when citizens tried to make sense of the cicada emergences by equating them with the biblical plagues and the fact John the Baptist ate locusts," according to Cicada Safari.
There's an app for that. Yes, there's a cicada app
If your vacation includes a trip to one of the states expected to be ground zero for the cicada emergence, consider downloading the free Cicada Safari app to help scientists plot the emergence on a live map.
Download the app on the Apple Store or Google Play.
Cicada trivia you just have to know
What is a group of cicadas called? A plague.
Bob Dylan wrote a song inspired by Brood X called the "Day of the Locusts." Yeah, we know, but that was before this article came out to explain the difference between locusts and cicadas.
Cicadas' wings repel water and bacteria.
Cicadas have one of the longest insect lifespans, living 13 or 17 years. Only a tiny fraction of their lives is above ground.
Cicadas use math to avoid predators. Those 13- and 17-year emergences are prime numbers. Speculation is that helps cicadas avoid synching up with predators, whose populations rise and fall on two- or 10-year cycles.
There are almost 3,400 species of cicadas and the majority of them emerge every two to five years. No advanced math degrees in those groups!
Cicadas emerge when the temperature eight inches below the surface reaches 64 degrees. Not 63. Not 65.
Cicadas don't eat while underground; they drink. They suck xylem from plant roots as their only food.
Those translucent skins they leave behind are called exuviae.
Periodical cicadas that emerge in years before they're supposed to are called stragglers.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida cicadas: 2024 emergence, they're edible, how loud are they?
