Miami Cicada Invasion

Through the Lens

By Miami University

May 29^th, 2021

Miami University

They're here! This spring of 2021 is the big one. Brood X, a group of periodical cicadas that emerge every 17 years, are now tunneling out of their long dormancy and populating the Miami University campus. They are making known they have arrived as they can be heard singing in the trees. They are known to be one of the loudest insects in the world. Cicadas' intentional sounds of clicking and chirping are their mating call. So enjoy the music!

This young cicada is rubbing the turtle head for good luck.

They come up out of the ground

A cicada emerges from ground near the hub. The paper on the ground is left over confetti from graduations on the seal.

Coming out of their exoskeleton

Cicadas emerge from the ground as nymphs. Nymphs climb the nearest available vertical surface and begin to shed their nymph exoskeleton.

They like the trees

As mentioned, cicadas are attracted to trees for mating purposes. Cicadas actually don't eat trees leaves or branches. Instead, they create slits in tree branches to lay their eggs.

They go back underground

After females lay their eggs, they die. Once those eggs hatch and the nymphs fall to the ground, they then start digging burrows to go back underground for 17 more years.

“To think that in such a place, I led such a life.”

Cicadas are mostly beneficial. They prune mature trees, aerate the soil, and once they die, their bodies serve as an important source of nitrogen for growing trees. When cicadas come out, they're eaten by just about anything with an insectivorous diet.