Brood XIII (also known as Brood 13 or Northern Illinois Brood) is one of 15 separate broods of periodical cicadas that appear regularly throughout the midwestern United States. Every 17 years, Brood XIII tunnels en masse to the surface of the ground, mates, lays eggs in tree twigs, and then dies off over several weeks.
Entomologist Charles Lester Marlatt published an account in 1907 in which he postulated the existence of 30 broods. The number has since been consolidated, and only 15 broods of periodical cicadas are currently recognized. Of these, twelve (Broods I through X, XIII, and XIV) are 17-year broods and three (Broods XIX, XXII, and XXIII) are 13-year broods. [1] Brood XI is extinct and Brood XII is not currently recognized as a brood of 17-year cicadas. [2]
The 4 cm (1.6 in) long black bugs do not sting or bite. Once they emerge, they spend their two-week lives climbing trees, shedding their exoskeletons and reproducing. Brood XIII can number up to 1.5 million per acre (3.7 million per hectare). The brood is reputed to be the largest emergence of cicadas known anywhere. [3]
The brood's most recent major emergence occurred during the spring and early summer of 2024, throughout an area roughly enclosed by northern Illinois, eastern Iowa, southern Wisconsin, and a narrow strip of Indiana bordering Lake Michigan and Michigan. [3] A premature emergence occurred in 2020. [4] The brood will emerge again in late May 2041. [2] [3] [5]
In the northern Chicago suburb of Highland Park, there was a concern about whether the cicadas's sounds might drown out the music at the Ravinia Festival during May and June, the peak months of cicada activity in 2007. According to the Chicago Tribune , Ravinia adjusted the schedule so that Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) concerts took place in July, after the emergence had ended. Apart from the CSO concerts, all other events took place as scheduled. [6]
Some of the Northern Illinois Sub-Brood (part of Marlatt's XIII) cicadas emerge 4 years early, as they did in the Chicago area during 2020. [4]
Brood XIII of the 17-year cicada, which reputably has the largest emergence of cicadas by size known anywhere, and Brood XIX of the 13-year cicada, arguably the largest (by geographic extent) of all periodical cicada broods, were expected to emerge together in 2024 for the first time since 1803. However, the two broods were not expected to overlap except potentially in a thin area in central and eastern Illinois (Macon, Sangamon, Livingston, and Logan counties). Therefore, the density of cicadas in most areas would likely have been the same as usual. [7] The next such dual emergence is expected to occur in 2245, 221 years after 2024. [8]
After the 2007 Brood XIII emergence had ended, many people in Chicago's suburbs reported in early August the development of rashes, pustules, intense itching and other skin conditions on their upper torso, head, neck and arms. Rashes and itching peaked after several days, but lasted as long as two weeks. Anti-itch treatments, including calamine lotion and topical steroid creams, did not relieve the itching. [9]
Edmond Zaborski, a research scientist with the Illinois Natural History Survey, then discovered that the skin conditions had resulted from oak leaf gall mite ("itch mite") ( Pyemotes herfsi ) bites. Zaborski further found that the mites were ectoparasites whose numbers had increased while feeding on the brood's eggs. [9]
The mites usually feed on oak leaf gall midge (Polystepha pilulae) larvae and other insects, but, as Zaborski found, also parasitize periodical cicada eggs when those are available. Similar events occurred in Cincinnati after a Brood XIV emergence ended in 2008, [10] in Cleveland and elsewhere in northern and eastern Ohio after a Brood V emergence ended in 2016, [11] in the Washington, D.C., area after a Brood X emergence ended in 2021, [12] and again in the Chicago area after the next Brood XIII emergence ended in 2024. [13]
The cicadas are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera. They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into two families, the Tettigarctidae, with two species in Australia, and the Cicadidae, with more than 3,000 species described from around the world; many species remain undescribed. Nearly all of cicada species are annual cicadas with the exception of the few North American periodical cicada species, genus Magicicada, which in a given region emerge en masse every 13 or 17 years.
Brood X, the Great Eastern Brood, is one of 15 broods of periodical cicadas that appear regularly throughout the eastern United States. The brood's first major emergence after 2021 is predicted to occur during 2038.
The term periodical cicada is commonly used to refer to any of the seven species of the genus Magicicada of eastern North America, the 13- and 17-year cicadas. They are called periodical because nearly all individuals in a local population are developmentally synchronized and emerge in the same year. Although they are sometimes called "locusts", this is a misnomer, as cicadas belong to the taxonomic order Hemiptera, suborder Auchenorrhyncha, while locusts are grasshoppers belonging to the order Orthoptera. Magicicada belongs to the cicada tribe Lamotialnini, a group of genera with representatives in Australia, Africa, and Asia, as well as the Americas.
Brood XIX is the largest brood of 13-year periodical cicadas, last seen in 2024 across a wide stretch of the southeastern United States. Periodical cicadas are often referred to as "17-year locusts" because most of the known distinct broods have a 17-year life cycle. Brood XIX is one of only three surviving broods with a 13-year cycle. It is also notable because it includes four different 13-year species, one of which was discovered in Brood XIX in 1998 by scientists listening to cicada songs.
Magicicada cassini, known as the 17-year cicada, Cassin's periodical cicada or the dwarf periodical cicada, is a species of periodical cicada. It is endemic to North America. It has a 17-year life cycle but is otherwise indistinguishable from the 13-year periodical cicada Magicicada tredecassini. The two species are usually discussed together as "cassini periodical cicadas" or "cassini-type periodical cicadas." Unlike other periodical cicadas, cassini-type males may synchronize their courting behavior so that tens of thousands of males sing and fly in unison. The species was first reported to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia by Margaretta Morris in 1846. In 1852, the species was formally described by J. C. Fisher and given the specific name cassini in honour of John Cassin, an American ornithologist, whose own report was included by Fisher in his publication.
Magicicada septendecim, sometimes called the Pharaoh cicada or the 17-year locust, is native to Canada and the United States and is the largest and most northern species of periodical cicada with a 17-year lifecycle.
Pyemotes herfsi, also known as the oak leaf gall mite or itch mite, is an ectoparasitic mite identified in Europe and subsequently found in India, Asia, and the United States. The mite parasitizes a variety of insect hosts and bites humans, causing red, itchy, and painful wheals (welts). The mites are barely visible, measuring about 0.2–0.8 millimeters; their great reproductive potential, small size, and high capacity for dispersal by wind make them difficult to control or avoid.
Predator satiation is an anti-predator adaptation in which prey briefly occur at high population densities, reducing the probability of an individual organism being eaten. When predators are flooded with potential prey, they can consume only a certain amount, so by occurring at high densities prey benefit from a safety in numbers effect. This strategy has evolved in a diverse range of prey, including notably many species of plants, insects, and fish. Predator satiation can be considered a type of refuge from predators.
Brood XIV is one of 15 separate broods of periodical cicadas that appear regularly throughout parts of the midwestern, northeastern, and southeastern United States. Every 17 years, the cicadas of Brood XIV tunnel en masse to the surface of the ground, mate, lay eggs, and then die off in several weeks.
Pyemotes tritici is a species of mite known as the grain itch mite or straw itch mite. It is a cosmopolitan species that is found on straw, hay and stored grain. It is a parasite of small arthropods and is being investigated as a possible biological control of stored product pests. It is associated with dermatitis in humans, and it causes an itchy rash.
Magicicada neotredecim is the most recently discovered species of periodical cicada. Like all Magicicada species, M. neotredecim has reddish eyes and wing veins and a black dorsal thorax. It has a 13-year life cycle but seems to be most closely related to the 17-year species Magicicada septendecim. Both species are distinguished by broad orange stripes on the abdomen and a unique high-pitched song said to resemble someone calling "weeeee-whoa" or "Pharaoh." They differ only in life cycle length.
Magicicada tredecim is a 13-year species of periodical cicada, closely related to the newly discovered 13-year species Magicicada neotredecim, from which it differs in male song pitch, female song pitch preferences, abdomen color, and mitochondrial DNA. Both M. tredecim and M. neotredecim are closely related to the 17-year species M. septendecim, which was identified by Linnaeus in 1758; these three species are often grouped together under the name decim periodical cicadas.
Decim periodical cicadas is a term used to group three closely related species of periodical cicadas: Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada tredecim, and Magicicada neotredecim. M. septendecim, first described by Carl Linnaeus, has a 17-year life cycle; the name septendecim is Latin for 17. M. tredecim, first described in 1868, has a similar call and appearance but a 13-year life cycle; tredecim is Latin for 13. M. neotredecim, first described in 2000 by Marshall and Cooley in an article in the journal Evolution, is a 13-year species but otherwise much more similar to M. septendecim than to M. tredecim as shown by studies of DNA and abdominal color variation by Chris Simon and colleagues in a companion article in the same journal issue.
The Cassini periodical cicadas are a pair of closely related species of periodical cicadas: Magicicada cassini, having a 17-year life cycle, and Magicicada tredecassini, a nearly identical species with a 13-year life cycle.
Brood II is one of 15 separate broods of Magicicada that appear regularly throughout the northeastern United States. Every 17 years, Brood II tunnels en masse to the surface of the ground, mates, lays eggs, and then dies off over the span of several weeks.
Brood XXII is a brood of 13-year periodical cicadas, last seen in 2014 in a geographic region centered on Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as well as other locations in southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi. Periodical cicadas are often referred to as "17-year locusts" because most of the known distinct broods have a 17-year life cycle. Brood XXII is one of only three surviving broods with a 13-year cycle. The next emergence of The Baton Rouge Brood is expected in 2027.
Brood XI was a brood of periodical cicadas that appeared regularly in the eastern United States. It was one of the smallest 17-year broods, consisting exclusively of the species Magicicada septendecim, and was historically restricted to areas of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island which appeared to be at the northern limit of the species' range. Brood XI has not been seen since its 1954 emergence and is now generally regarded as extinct.
Brood V is one of twelve extant broods of periodical cicadas that emerge as adults once every 17 years in North America. They are expected to appear in the eastern half of Ohio, the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania, the upper two-thirds of West Virginia less the Eastern Panhandle, far western Maryland, and some places in Virginia abutting West Virginia. Also included in Brood V is a population that emerges in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. They last emerged in 2016, and their next appearance will be in 2033.
Brood IX, is one of 15 broods of periodical cicadas that appear regularly throughout the United States in 13 or 17-year intervals. Seventeen-year Brood IX is concentrated in Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina.
Brood XXIII is a brood of 13-year periodical cicadas that last emerged in 2015 around the Mississippi River in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, and Illinois. The brood was also seen in Southwestern Indiana and Western Kentucky around the Ohio River, and as far north as Weldon Springs State Park in DeWitt County, Illinois. Brood XXIII is one of three extant periodical cicada broods with a 13-year life cycle, and thus is expected to be seen again in 2028.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)The northern Illinois brood, which will emerge in late May 2024, has a reputation for the largest emergence of cicadas known anywhere. This is due to the size of the emergence and the research and subsequent reporting over the years by entomologists Monte Lloyd and Henry Dybas at the Field Museum in Chicago. During the 1956 emergence, they counted an average of 311 nymphal emergence holes per square yard of ground in a forested floodplain near Chicago. This translates to 1½ million cicadas per acre. In upland sites, they recorded 27 emergence holes per square yard, translating to about 133,000 per acre. This number is more typical of emergence numbers but is still a tremendous number of insects. .... 2020 | Northern Illinois Sub-Brood (part of Marlatt's XIII)
Both Brood XIX and XIII exist in Macon, Sangamon, Livingston and Logan counties in Illinois. The easily accessible place they come closest to overlapping is Springfield, Illinois, which is in Sangamon County.
The northern Illinois brood, which will emerge in late May 2024, has a reputation for the largest emergence of cicadas known anywhere. This is due to the size of the emergence and the research and subsequent reporting over the years by entomologists Monte Lloyd and Henry Dybas at the Field Museum in Chicago. During the 1956 emergence, they counted an average of 311 nymphal emergence holes per square yard of ground in a forested floodplain near Chicago. This translates to 1½ million cicadas per acre. In upland sites, they recorded 27 emergence holes per square yard, translating to about 133,000 per acre. This number is more typical of emergence numbers but is still a tremendous number of insects.
In 2024, 13-year Brood XIX, which is the largest of all periodical cicada broods, will co-emerge with 17-year Brood XIII; these two broods are adjacent (but not significantly overlapping) in north-central Illinois.
Brood XIX is arguably the largest (by geographic extent) of all periodical cicada broods, with records along the east coast from Maryland to Georgia and in the Midwest from Iowa to Oklahoma.
Brood XIX and Brood XIII will both emerge this spring. The last time these bugs showed up at the same time in the United States, Thomas Jefferson was president. After this spring, it'll be another 221 years before the broods, which are geographically adjacent, appear together again.
Folks in Northeastern Ohio complain of itchy welts on their heads, neck and upper torso. The oak itch mite, Pyemotes herfsi, has been identified as the culprit. The last time Ohio suffered an outbreak was in 2008 in the Cincinnati area. At that time, walkers, joggers and cyclists were complaining that when they followed trails that were overhung by oak trees, they would end up with itchy welts the following day. At that time, the oak itch mite had been recorded as being a periodic pest from Nebraska to Texas and eastward to Tennessee. The bites were most common in July and August, but the following summer, there were no complaints!
Cicadas, those big, noisy, clumsy, red-eyed bugs that periodically swarm sections of Ohio, will be emerging again in just a few weeks. This year's infestation will be the heaviest in Cincinnati-area neighborhoods around and east of I-71, experts say. ... In all, the cicadas will swarm throughout south central Ohio, the entire eastern half of Kentucky and parts of 10 other states. These are the babies of the cicada family named Brood XIV. Known as 17-year cicadas, their last emergence occurred in 1991.
The largest section of Brood XIV was found in a contiguous region roughly occupying portions of the Ohio Valley, part of the Cumberland Plateau, and the mountains to its south and east.
Periodical Cicadas: Brood V of the 17-year periodical cicadas emerged across much of eastern Ohio in the spring of 2016. Peak activity for the cicadas was during most of the month of June.
According to cicada expert Dr. Gene Kritsky with Mount St. Joseph University, a particular mite known as the "oak leaf itch mite" can be seen in large amounts following a cicada emergence. Kritsky noted that in 2007, "people in Chicago who had oak trees in the yards, started to complain of bites after the cicada emergence." "It turned out that the oak itch mite was found in the egg nests of Brood XIII cicadas," Kritsky told NBC Chicago. That same brood was one of the two to emerge in Illinois during 2024's historic event, which Kritsky described as "biblical."