Brood XI cicadas, once found in Rhode Island, haven’t been seen in generations and are presumed extinct.

While periodical cicadas were once found in Rhode Island, only annual cicadas remain, appearing in smaller numbers during late summer.

The closest place to Rhode Island to witness the emergence of periodical cicadas is Cape Cod, where Brood XIV is expected to emerge around Memorial Day weekend.

PROVIDENCE – The forests of the eastern United States will again be abuzz this spring with billions of cicadas emerging after many years underground, but don’t count on hearing any of the members of what’s known as Brood XIV in Rhode Island.

If you want to witness the noisy spectacle, you’ll have to go to Cape Cod.

While the Ocean State was once believed to be home to one of the types of cicadas that spend most of their lives in the soil before coming to the surface en masse to reproduce, it’s been more than a century since their last recorded emergence here.

Has Rhode Island ever had periodical cicadas?

Rhode Island was part of the historical territory of Brood XI, a cohort now thought to be extinct whose numbers were also found through areas of northeast Connecticut and Massachusetts.

The earliest records of the Brood XI cicadas in Southern New England go back hundreds of years.

“On the 22d of June, 1835, while travelling through Tolland County, Conn., in a stage coach, I passed through woods swarming with this Cicada,” reported Yale librarian E.C. Herrick in the American Journal of Science.

On May 23, 1903, James Southwick, curator of the Museum of Natural History in Roger Williams Park, was given a living cicada taken from near the southwest corner of Tiogue Lake by Providence resident Charles E. Ford, who’d been driving through the area.

Ford also met with Brown University professor Alpheus Spring Packard, who visited Tiogue Lake a month later and talked to residents. They described sightings of cicadas at one other site in Coventry and another in East Greenwich. Packard was also told of earlier observations in 1886 and 1869.

Under the rather ominous subhead “IT IS SEEKING NEW FIELDS TO CONQUER,” The Providence Journal reported on the discovery of the cicadas in “the wilds of Coventry,” saying the insects were looking for “new pastures in the free air of the land of Roger Williams.”

When was the last periodical cicada sighting in RI?

Sightings of the brood were always sparse, and they trickled out over time. In 1920, there were no recordings at all of the brood’s cicadas in Rhode Island or anywhere else.

And the last recorded sighting of the brood anywhere would be in 1954, at the edge of a dairy farm’s pasture in Willington, Connecticut, finding “many thousands clinging to the trees and shrubs.”

Why did RI’s periodical cicadas die out?

Why Brood XI went extinct is unclear. Periodical cicadas live in deciduous forests, preferring hardwood species like oaks and hickories, and they are known to be sensitive to forest fragmentation. Human development can reduce the habitat available to them and harm a brood’s reproductive success.

While the areas University of Connecticut scientists searched in recent years were forested at the time, early 20th-century photographs showed patchier woods, remnants of agricultural land-clearing that was once widespread across the region. The more recent regrowth of forests may have come too late for the insects.

In their research, however, the scientists found that temperature and precipitation may have been more important factors in the brood’s eventual demise. Periodical cicadas generally prefer warmer climates.

It may simply have been that the territory covered by Brood XI became less suitable for cicadas over time – to the point that their numbers were no longer high enough to satiate predators.

But it’s difficult to find definitive answers, says UConn professor John Cooley. Record-keeping from years past isn’t as rigorous as it is today. Many reports that claim sightings of the brood don’t have physical specimens to back them up.

What about Brood XIV?

So what about the Brood XIV insects on Cape Cod? How is it they’ve continued to survive this far north?

It may be because of the micro-climate along the finger of land surrounded by ocean, says University of Rhode Island entomologist Lisa Tewksbury. Or it may have something to do with an abundance of forest patches that grow near open fields and bodies of water that have a higher density of the kinds of twigs that cicadas like to lay their eggs on, Cooley says.

There’s also an outpost of Brood XIV cicadas on Long Island, another seemingly unsuitable place for the insects.

Just like Rhode Island, there are other reasons why Cape Cod or Long Island aren’t ideal for periodical cicadas. While cicadas like rich, moist soils, the soils in the coastal Northeast are known to be sandy.

The other cicadas in Brood XIV – a 17-year brood and the second-largest overall – will emerge in seemingly more apt locations like Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania.

CINCINNATI (WXIX) – Brood XIV cicadas are emerging from their 17-year rest. While they are only seen in certain parts of the globe, they are an important piece to their local ecosystem.

Dr. Gene Kritsky is a biology professor at Mount St. Joseph University. His research interests include periodical cicadas.

Dr. Kritsky says cicadas are at the bottom of the food chain. Beetles, ants, and spiders all feast on the nymph cicadas.

“For the birds, the squirrels, chipmunks, and raccoons – they’ll have a greater opportunity for more of their offspring to survive this year,” Dr. Kritsky said.

Cicadas evolved to reproduce by the thousands, so that more of them survive to become adults. They also developed tactics to defend themselves as soon as they hatch.

“I actually collected egg nests, hatched the eggs, and then released the insects to see how fast they can get under the ground,” Dr. Kritsky said. “Within 30 seconds, almost all are gone.”

The cicadas’ burrows control runwater and flooding all while watering nearby plants.

“When it gets really hot and we get our thunderstorms in the summer, instead of all that rainwater running off the surface, a lot of it goes down the holes to water the trees,” Dr. Kritsky said. “That’s beneficial for the tree.”

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The emergence of these 17-year cicadas will be limited, primarily occurring in Fannin, Lumpkin, Rabun, and Union counties.

While similar to last year’s cicadas, their population will be smaller and less noticeable.

Cicadas benefit the environment by serving as a food source, aerating soil, and providing nutrients upon decomposition.

Georgia residents can expect to hear the presence of the 17-year Brood XIV cicadas in early May, especially in areas with hardwood forests.

Soil temperatures reaching 64 degrees is what triggers the emergence, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division.

“Brood XIV, which is emerging this spring, is a northern brood, so it will be poorly represented here in Georgia,” Nancy Hinkle, University of Georgia entomology professor, noted in an email. “We anticipate that spotty populations of this brood may emerge in Fannin, Lumpkin, Rabun, and Union counties in Georgia. But even within these counties, their distribution will be limited, so you’ll really have to look or listen for them.”

Hinkle added, “This year’s periodical cicadas will have black bodies and bright red eyes, just like last year’s. They will even sound the same, except there won’t be nearly as many of them, so they won’t be as loud.”

There are two types of cicadas found in the Eastern United States, according to experts with the United States Environmental Protection Agency − annual cicadas, which emerge annually, and periodical cicadas, which emerge every 13 or 17 years.

Where do they lay their eggs?

“After she has mated, the female cicada flies to the tip of a tree branch, inserts her ovipositor, a bladelike egg-laying organ under the bark, and deposits her eggs,” said Hinkle. “The eggs hatch in a month or two. The tiny nymphs fall from the tree and tunnel into the soil. They will spend the next 17 years underground, feeding by sucking juice from tree roots.”

Environmental benefits, according to the EPA:

Cicadas are a valuable food source for birds and other predators.

Cicadas can aerate lawns and improve water filtration into the ground.

Cicadas add nutrients to the soil as they decompose.

What you need to know about cicadas

Pesticides are generally ineffective in keeping cicadas away and might prove more harmful to other beneficial insects.

There are seven species of periodical cicadas, with three of them being 17-year cicadas.

They spend most of their lives underground, only emerging for about a month and then dying.

This reporting content is supported by a partnership with several funders and Journalism Funding Partners.

Erica Van Buren is the climate change reporter for The Augusta Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. Connect with her at EVanBuren@gannett.com or on X: @EricaVanBuren32.

A new brood of cicadas is coming, as millions of the noisy, ear-piercing buzzing insects prepare to emerge from Tennessee soil in the coming weeks.

Brood XIV is expected to be one of the largest cicada broods, impacting Tennessee and 12 other states.

It’s been a long wait for the brood, which has been underground for the past 17 years. The insects will emerge once soil temperatures reach 64 to 65 degrees.

Tennessee and Kentucky are expected to see the largest amount of the insects, Gene Kritsky, founder of Cicada Safari, told USA TODAY.

Where will cicadas be in Middle Tennessee?

According to data compiled by Tennessee State University and Tennessee Tech University, cicadas are expected in Robertson, Cheatham, Davidson, Williamson, Wilson, Sumner and Dickson Counties.

The cicada brood is periodical, only occurring every 17 years, and only in the eastern half of the United States, Kritsky told USA TODAY.

Kritsky said there are three different species of 17-year periodical cicadas: Magicicada septendecim, magicicada cassini and magicicada septendecula. There are some differences among the three species, such as their calls and color, he noted.

What are cicadas?

Kritsky said cicadas are insects from the hemiptera order that includes stink bugs, bed bugs, aphids and other cicada families.

Kritsky wrote on his website that the oldest historical record of Brood XIV cicadas is from 1634, when Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony recorded the insects. Native Americans knew of cicadas from centuries prior to European contact.

What’s all the buzz about?

Only male cicadas make that distinct buzzing sound. They use a sound-producing structure called tymbals, located on the side of their abdomen, Kritsky wrote on his website.

Kritsky said five days after they emerge from the soil, cicadas begin their buzzing noises. It takes six weeks for all of them to come out.

The sound can be deafening, reaching decibel levels of 102, which is louder than a jet flying into an airport.

The insects are mostly built to keep their species alive.

Female cicadas die after mating once. The males mate until they are unable and then die. After six to 10 weeks, the eggs laid by females on tree branches hatch and then drop to the ground. The juveniles burrow underground and feed on grass roots, leaving behind holes in the ground.

Evil spirits and war: Misconceptions of cicadas

There are a few misconceptions about the noisy insects, according to The University of Tennessee Extension Institute of Agriculture.

Many of them were passed down by Native Americans who believed a large cicada emergence had an evil significance.

Early American colonists believed cicadas to be Biblical, like locusts plaguing Egypt, and were considered a punishment.

Another misconception was that cicadas will destroy crops, the extension said.

“However, adult cicadas do not feed on foliage. Adults may feed on twig sap to a limited degree. The most immediate and noticeable damage results when females make injurious slits in twigs and limbs of trees as they deposit eggs,” the extension institute said in a March 2021 report.

The distinct black “W” on the outer end of the front wings was once thought to have foretold war, the extension institute said. Instead, the “W” is caused by deeper pigmentation of the veins.

And no, cicadas can’t poison fruit by stinging it.

Helping society?

Kritsky said while cicadas don’t live long, they do provide environmental help.

Because they tunnel into the ground, they create natural aeration of soil and provide food for predators.

Can humans eat cicadas?

Yes, humans can cicadas, Kritsky said. Though he said cicadas are best consumed when they are still white.

“They taste like cold canned asparagus,” Kritsky wrote on his website. “Like all insects, cicadas have a good balance of vitamins, are low in fat, and, especially the females, are high in protein.”

USA Today reporter Saleen Martin and Arizona Republic reporter Tiffany Acosta contributed to this story.

What to Know Periodical cicadas last appeared in Massachusetts in 2008 and won’t be seen after this spring and summer until 2042.

They will emerge in late May and early July in Cape Cod and across the canal in southeastern Massachusetts.

Cicada’s buzz can be as loud as a lawnmower.

They’re not a danger to humans — but can damage young trees and hurt pets.

Masses of massive bugs will emerge in Cape Cod and southeastern Massachusetts this May and June after 17 years underground — and they will be loud.

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After billions of cicadas were seen across the Midwest and Southeast last summer, this year is the New England’s turn — and outside of Connecticut, the South Shore and the Cape are the only parts of the region where the cyclical variety of the curious creatures live.

Annual, or “dog day,” cicadas emerge every summer as solitary insects. However, periodical cicadas, characterized by their 1.5-inch-long black bodies and red eyes, only appear every 13 or 17 years in huge numbers, according to the conservation organization Mass Audubon.

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This year is Brood XIV’s turn to appear, for the first time since 2008. The second-largest brood nationwide, it’s the only strand of periodical cicadas that appears in Massachusetts.

In addition to Barnstable and Plymouth counties in Massachusetts, these cicadas are expected to appear in Long Island, central Pennsylvania and the central U.S. from northern Georgia to southern Ohio, according to data collected by the University of Connecticut.

Members of Brood I, which is due in 2029, may emerge by mistake this year, cicada expert John Cooley told the Farmers’ Almanac.

Experts project trillions of cicadas will emerge in 2025, including one of the largest 17-year broods in the United States. Here’s what you need to know.

See a U.S. Forestry Service map of all the broods here:

The insects will dig their way to the surface in late May and early June before shedding their skin.

While the adults only have a lifespan of three to four weeks above ground, the male cicadas make their presence known with buzzing sounds to attract mates that can reach 100 decibels — the same level as a lawnmower or jackhammer.

Females then lay eggs in trees, and by the end of the summer, the nymphs will hatch and burrow underground, feeding off roots until they emerge again in 2042.

Cicadas are not harmful to humans — they don’t bite or sting and are not poisonous, in fact,

However, the Barnstable County government cautions pet owners to keep an eye on their animals, as eating too many cicadas can upset dogs’ or cats’ stomachs.

A food blogger in Maryland shared a unique recipe for tempura-battered cicadas.

The biggest nuisance caused by the insects is their noise — as well as the exoskeletons that will pile up around trees and driveways as they shed.

The cicadas can also damage young trees when females lay their eggs inside branches. The species typically resides in oak trees.

To protect new trees, Barnstable County recommends covering them with netting that has holes of a centimeter or less by mid May. Pesticides are not effective against the insects.

Lynne Solway Lynne Solway

Residents should also wait to plant additional trees until after the cicadas have disappeared.

That said, the cicadas are overall helpful for the environment by naturally pruning trees, serving as food for birds and fish and enriching the soil when the adults die.

The presence of Brood XIV was first recorded in Massachusetts by William Bradford, the governor of the Plymouth Colony, in 1624, according to Mass Audubon.

The Massachusetts cicadas are unique for their occurrence on the sandy soil of Cape Cod, as the insects typically prefer forested areas.

Once the cicadas arrive, Massachusetts residents are encouraged to submit photos of the insects to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources’ iNaturalist project.