Beneath the Ground: The Unprecedented Double-Brood Emergence of Cicadas in North America

In North America, a rare double-brood emergence of 13- and 17-year cicadas is currently taking place. This phenomenon, which hasn’t been seen in centuries, last occurred in 1803 and will not happen again for another 221 years. The simultaneous emergence of two different hatches of cicadas from below the ground is an uncommon occurrence, making this event truly remarkable.

The cacophony caused by the loud buzzing and chirping of these insects has been so overwhelming in some parts of South Carolina that residents have had to call the police to complain about the noise. However, this is just the beginning as the cicadas are expected to become even louder and more widespread as they continue to emerge from their underground burrows.

Dennis Higgins, a cicadas enthusiast from Illinois, described the sounds of these insects as reminiscent of a science fiction movie from the ’50s. The fluctuating noise levels can be deafening as the insects continue to emerge from their underground burrows.

There are seven species of periodical cicadas in North America, with three spending about 17 years underground and the remaining species spending 13 years below the surface. Parts of Illinois are expected to be at the focal point of this rare convergence of two broods of cicadas, as they emerge together to mate before quickly dying.