٠٠:٠٣:٥٧Katie Dana, an entomologist from the Illinois Natural History Survey of the Prairie Research Institute, sheds light on the unprecedented phenomenon of trillions of cicadas from the two largest broods converging on the Midwestern states of the US for the first time in 221 years.
Footage filmed on Sunday shows the bugs feeding on plants in the Hook Larson Prairie of Nachosa Grasslands in Franklin Grove, Illinois.
“This year is a really incredible year because we have two different broods emerging at the same time. We have our Northern Illinois Brood which is a 17-year brood and we have our Great Southern Brood which is a 13-year brood, so across Illinois there are cicadas emerging almost everywhere," explained Dana. "These two broods have not come out at the same time for 221 years so it's a really special event, which also means you can find all seven species of periodical cicadas in the same year.”
Delving into the life cycle of cicadas, Dana elaborated on their journey from nymphs buried underground to their emergence as adults, triggered by soil temperatures reaching 64 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 17.8 degrees Celsius).
"After a few weeks, they will start to reproduce. So the males take a few days to start singing and the females aren't quite ready yet, so the males will be singing, trying to lure the females in for mating. It gets super loud because there are so many males out there right?" Dana elaborated on the buzz generated by the cicadas in the region.
The entomologist in addition dwelled upon the bugs' 'life history strategy', emphasising that the cicadas, fallen prey to 'many organisms', would eventually die and reignite the 'nutrient cycling' when their bodies rotten and nurture the ground surface.
The widespread presence of cicadas in Illinois over the past few weeks has been influenced by rising temperatures. Depending on the urban landscape, the distribution of cicadas may be uneven, but the ongoing cicada activity is expected to continue until at least mid-June when they complete their adult lifespan above ground, as per expert predictions.
The historical event of the 2024 emergence sees the simultaneous appearance of Brood XIII and Brood XIX, consisting of 13- and 17-year-old cicadas, a rare occurrence that has not happened in over two centuries.
'Emerging almost everywhere' - Entomologist as trillions of cicadas invade US Midwest for first time in over 200 years
Katie Dana, an entomologist from the Illinois Natural History Survey of the Prairie Research Institute, sheds light on the unprecedented phenomenon of trillions of cicadas from the two largest broods converging on the Midwestern states of the US for the first time in 221 years.
Footage filmed on Sunday shows the bugs feeding on plants in the Hook Larson Prairie of Nachosa Grasslands in Franklin Grove, Illinois.
“This year is a really incredible year because we have two different broods emerging at the same time. We have our Northern Illinois Brood which is a 17-year brood and we have our Great Southern Brood which is a 13-year brood, so across Illinois there are cicadas emerging almost everywhere," explained Dana. "These two broods have not come out at the same time for 221 years so it's a really special event, which also means you can find all seven species of periodical cicadas in the same year.”
Delving into the life cycle of cicadas, Dana elaborated on their journey from nymphs buried underground to their emergence as adults, triggered by soil temperatures reaching 64 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 17.8 degrees Celsius).
"After a few weeks, they will start to reproduce. So the males take a few days to start singing and the females aren't quite ready yet, so the males will be singing, trying to lure the females in for mating. It gets super loud because there are so many males out there right?" Dana elaborated on the buzz generated by the cicadas in the region.
The entomologist in addition dwelled upon the bugs' 'life history strategy', emphasising that the cicadas, fallen prey to 'many organisms', would eventually die and reignite the 'nutrient cycling' when their bodies rotten and nurture the ground surface.
The widespread presence of cicadas in Illinois over the past few weeks has been influenced by rising temperatures. Depending on the urban landscape, the distribution of cicadas may be uneven, but the ongoing cicada activity is expected to continue until at least mid-June when they complete their adult lifespan above ground, as per expert predictions.
The historical event of the 2024 emergence sees the simultaneous appearance of Brood XIII and Brood XIX, consisting of 13- and 17-year-old cicadas, a rare occurrence that has not happened in over two centuries.
Katie Dana, an entomologist from the Illinois Natural History Survey of the Prairie Research Institute, sheds light on the unprecedented phenomenon of trillions of cicadas from the two largest broods converging on the Midwestern states of the US for the first time in 221 years.
Footage filmed on Sunday shows the bugs feeding on plants in the Hook Larson Prairie of Nachosa Grasslands in Franklin Grove, Illinois.
“This year is a really incredible year because we have two different broods emerging at the same time. We have our Northern Illinois Brood which is a 17-year brood and we have our Great Southern Brood which is a 13-year brood, so across Illinois there are cicadas emerging almost everywhere," explained Dana. "These two broods have not come out at the same time for 221 years so it's a really special event, which also means you can find all seven species of periodical cicadas in the same year.”
Delving into the life cycle of cicadas, Dana elaborated on their journey from nymphs buried underground to their emergence as adults, triggered by soil temperatures reaching 64 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 17.8 degrees Celsius).
"After a few weeks, they will start to reproduce. So the males take a few days to start singing and the females aren't quite ready yet, so the males will be singing, trying to lure the females in for mating. It gets super loud because there are so many males out there right?" Dana elaborated on the buzz generated by the cicadas in the region.
The entomologist in addition dwelled upon the bugs' 'life history strategy', emphasising that the cicadas, fallen prey to 'many organisms', would eventually die and reignite the 'nutrient cycling' when their bodies rotten and nurture the ground surface.
The widespread presence of cicadas in Illinois over the past few weeks has been influenced by rising temperatures. Depending on the urban landscape, the distribution of cicadas may be uneven, but the ongoing cicada activity is expected to continue until at least mid-June when they complete their adult lifespan above ground, as per expert predictions.
The historical event of the 2024 emergence sees the simultaneous appearance of Brood XIII and Brood XIX, consisting of 13- and 17-year-old cicadas, a rare occurrence that has not happened in over two centuries.