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TOPEKA (KSNT) – Kansans will soon be hit with the calls of a notorious singing insect this summer as they emerge from their shells to mate.

Cicadas are a regular sight in Kansas each year, filling the air with their distinctive calls from the vantage point of trees. Many Kansas residents may be worried they’ll be bombarded with the insects this year as part of the “cicada-geddon” tied to the expected emergence of trillions of cicadas from two distinct broods.

KSNT 27 News reached out to Raymond Cloyd, an entomologist with Kansas State University, to learn more about what Kansans can expect as the cicadas begin to appear.

Separate Broods

Cloyd said there are different kinds of cicadas in the wild. A common variety, dog-day cicadas, emerge on an annual basis from June to August. They get their name as they are typically most active during the “dog-days of late summer”.

  • A woman is holding Dog-day cicada (Tibicen canicularis) nymphal skins in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on August 14, 2023. Before a cicada becomes an adult and sheds its skin, it tries to find a plant to attach itself to with its claws. Often, their nymphal skin remains attached to a plant long after the cicada has hatched. (Photo by Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images)
  • A dog-day cicada (Tibicen canicularis) is clinging to its nymphal exoskeleton after emerging from it in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on August 29, 2023. Before a cicada becomes an adult and sheds its skin, it is trying to find a plant to which it can attach itself with its claws. Often, their nymphal skin remains attached to a plant long after the cicada has hatched. (Photo by Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images)
  • Woman holds a Dog-day cicada (Tibicen canicularis) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on August 18, 2021. (Photo by Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images)

These cicadas shouldn’t be confused with periodical broods, a separate species, which appear after a long period of time has passed. The broods responsible for the “cicada-geddon” this year belong to this category and are from Brood 19 and 13. Cicadas in Brood 19 only come out once every 13 years while Brood 13 comes out once every 17 years. The last time both broods emerged at the same time occurred more than 200 years ago.

Will Kansas be hit with a cicada swarm in 2024?

Cloyd said Kansans can breathe easy this year as both Brood 19 and 13 will not impact the Sunflower State. Both broods will emerge this year around the same time in the following states, sparing Kansas from their presence:

  • Brood 19
    • Alabama
    • Arkansas
    • Georgia
    • Iowa
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Kentucky
    • Louisiana
    • Maryland
    • Missouri
    • Mississippi
    • North Carolina
    • Oklahoma
    • South Carolina
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
  • Brood 13
    • Iowa
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Michigan
    • Wisconsin

While neither of these broods are expected to impact Kansas, another might in the future. Cloyd said Kansas is home to brood four, another periodical type of cicada with a 17-year life-cycle, which last appeared in 2015 and won’t come again until 2032.

“There’s no need to panic,” Cloyd said. “It’s nothing to worry about.”

What’s with all the racket?

Cicadas can be quite noisy once they’re active, producing loud calls. Cloyd said the noise comes from males searching for females to mate with.

“Males will start singing and luring females into areas where they mate,” Cloyd said. “The male dies and the female lays eggs in tree branches, then dies. Larvae will emerge, fall to the soil and start cycle all over again.”

Both annual and periodical cicadas are similar in terms of their life-cycle. The insects serve as a food source for birds and can be slightly inconvenient to deal with due to their loud mating calls and tendency to run into people outside.

“They won’t bite you or sting you, they’ll just hit you,” Cloyd said.

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