Get prepared for an active cicada season this year

You know you’re in Alabama in the summertime when you hear the familiar sounds of cicadas. To me, it’s a welcome part of living here in the south, and one of the aspects of the summer I have always appreciated.

Well, this year, the cicadas will be even more plentiful here in Alabama as experts predict a “double emergence of cicadas,” meaning trillions of them will emerge this summer.

Cicada season in Alabama

cicada, cycadid, crayfish — Brood XIII and Brood XIX of cicadas are expected to begin emerging in mid-May (Photo by makamuki0 on Pixabay)

According to a report from John Abbott — an associate professor and Chief Curator and Director of Museum Research and Collections at The University of Alabama — millions of cicadas will emerge this summer statewide due to an overlapping of cicada broods.

The National Wildlife Federation identifies two broods of periodical cicadas set to emerge at the same time this year as the annual cicadas. This will increase the number of these insects exponentially this summer, a phenomena that happens once every 221 years.

Brood XIII and Brood XIX are expected to begin emerging in mid-May, Abbott said. Brood XIII exists on a 17-year cycle, and Brood XIX exists on a 13-year cycle.

Abbott also said the noise made by the cicadas this year is expected to reach “levels as high as 100 decibels.” For comparison, 100 decibels is about as loud as a hair dryer, blender, power lawn mower or subway train.

More on the 2024 cicadas phenomena

This double brood of cicadas will start emerging in late April to mid-May, according to the Alabama Nature Center. But you should know that cicadas are harmless insects. They do not bite or sting. They won’t harm your plants or pets, and they don’t carry diseases.

In fact, they make good food for other wildlife and help the ecosystem. They prune mature trees, aerate the soil, and once they die, their bodies serve as an important source of nitrogen for growing trees.

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