West Virginia’s Cicada INVASION: Billions to Swarm Soon—Louder Than a JET ENGINE!
Billions of cicadas will erupt across West Virginia this spring, buzzing louder than planes at the airport after a 17-year wait underground.🌐 #News #CharlestonWV #WestVirginia #Science
CHARLESTON, WV — Get ready for a natural spectacle this spring as billions of cicadas from Brood XIV prepare to emerge across multiple states, including right here in West Virginia. Last seen when George W. Bush was wrapping up his presidency and Apple was gearing up to launch the App Store, these 17-year cicadas are back, and they’re bringing their deafening buzz with them.
A 17-Year Cycle Nears Its Peak
Brood XIV cicadas—comprising the species Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada cassini, and Magicicada septendecula—spend 17 years underground before surfacing en masse. The trigger? Soil temperatures hitting 64 to 65 degrees, softened by spring rains.
Scattered from the South to the Northeast, these insects will begin their ascent in northern Georgia around the third week of April, with West Virginia’s turn arriving by the second week of May.
Emergence Timeline Across States
The cicadas follow a predictable rollout based on last year’s patterns.
Tennessee sees them in the fourth week of April, followed by Kentucky in the first week of May. By the second week of May, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania will join the party. Massachusetts wraps up the sequence in late May.
Once they start, it takes two full weeks for all cicadas in an area to claw their way out.
The Buzz That Drowns Out Planes
Five days after emerging, male cicadas kick off their courtship ritual, filling the air with a buzz that peaks at 90 decibels—sometimes hitting a staggering 102 decibels. That’s louder than planes landing at Dulles airport.
The sound swells for two weeks as more males join in, fading only after five weeks when the adults start dying off. For six weeks, trees will host these noisy visitors.
Life Above and Below Ground
Post-mating, females lay eggs in tree branches. When the nymphs hatch, they drop to the soil, burrow in, and spend the next 17 years feeding on grass and tree roots. Gene Kritsky, Professor Emeritus of Biology at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, has tracked this cycle for years, offering insight into this remarkable phenomenon.
West Virginia readers, brace yourselves—this spring promises an unforgettable symphony from Brood XIV.
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