Brood X cicadas emerging this spring, just not in WNY

Brood X cicadas emerging this spring, just not in Western New York

BY Madison Elliott Western New York

PUBLISHED 11:16 AM ET May 12, 2021 PUBLISHED 11:16 AM EDT May 12, 2021

It’s an event 17 years in the making as Brood X, also known as Brood 10 cicadas, will emerge from the ground this spring.

While these insects have a very distinct and loud sound, you won’t hear them in and around Buffalo.

These cicadas are actually only in certain pockets through the United States, and the Buffalo area is just not one of those pockets for these type of cicadas.

A simulator at the Buffalo Museum of Science emits the noise people will hear when Brood X emerges from the ground. Buffalo Zoo School Program Leader Jackie Levinson explains why.

So, this sound is *definitely* loud. This simulator at @buffaloscience emulates what the Brood X cicadas will sound like as they emerge. But Buffalo won’t need the ear plugs because these *type* of cicadas aren’t here. We explain where you could find them on @SPECNewsBuffalo pic.twitter.com/qqhIhNRvId
— Madison Elliott (@m_elliott95) May 12, 2021

"It's their wings vibrating against their legs and abdomen and it's so painfully loud at times. It's like 80 to 100 decibels, which is comparable to a lawn mower or a motorcycle. That's what males are using to attract females to breed," she said.

But no need to pull out the ear plugs: Most of New York State won’t hear Brood X. These periodical cicadas are mostly downstate.

"We have a small population in Long Island. The closest we have would be a small pocket of a different brood in the Finger Lakes and Central New York," Levinson explained.

According to experts at the Buffalo Museum of Science, there many species of cicada. Some live for 13 years; others for 17 years, like Brood X.

"So the adults that are beginning to emerge this spring were laid as eggs 17 years ago, so it takes that long until they are adults and ready to breed," Levinson continued.

The other major pockets for Brood X are near major cities.

"Washington D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia, but also in Ohio and Indiana. They are only in the eastern U.S.; you can't find them anywhere else in the world, so I think it's cool," Sarajane Gomlak-Green, Buffalo Museum of Science director of Programs & Experience, said.

They play a role in our ecosystem as well. While they live most of their lives underground, they have a pretty big job.

"They have a lot of good ecological benefits. So living down underground as the young cicadas, as they are moving around, they are helping to aerate the soil so that tree roots and other plants have a chance to stretch their roots out," Gomlak-Green said.

Parts of New York State do have annual cicadas. So while you may hear them, it won’t be Brood X, who are expected to stay above ground for a short window of 4-6 weeks.