Cicadas 2024 Kentucky

Billions of Cicadas to Emerge from the Ground This Spring

Kentucky's 2024 Cicada Brood Includes Annual and Brood XIX Varieties

Story by Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal

Trillions of periodical cicadas will emerge from the ground this spring, bringing with them a cacophony of sound and a reminder of nature's remarkable cycles.

Cicada broods are expected to emerge in parts of Kentucky in 2024 and 2025. Brood XIX, which has been dormant for the past 13 years, will emerge in 2024.

Brood XIX is one of the largest and most widespread broods of periodical cicadas in the United States. It is expected to emerge in 15 states, including Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Tennessee.

The cicadas will emerge from the ground in late April or early May, depending on the weather. They will spend the next few weeks above ground, mating and laying eggs.

The cicadas will then die, and their eggs will hatch in the fall. The nymphs will spend the next 13 years underground, feeding on the roots of trees.

Cicadas are not harmful to humans or animals. However, they can be a nuisance with their loud noise and their tendency to swarm.