After seventeen years, the Brood X cicadas are coming out of their hiding spots in the ground in New Jersey this upcoming summer. 

This specific breed of cicadas haven’t been seen since 2004, and they are only expected to make an appearance in about fifteen states, New Jersey being one of them. 

These loud bugs are known for their annoying and consistent buzzing throughout the summer. This is because the male cicadas create a mating call, and repeatedly contract and relax their tymbal. The tymbal is a drumlike organ inside the male cicadas. Because of this, the noise of the cicadas can be extremely loud, getting almost as loud as a gas-powered lawn mower. These loud and aggressive noises cause most people to dread the arrival of cicadas.

NPHS sophomore, Kate Barfield, is one of those who is dreading the appearance of the Brood X cicadas.

“I think another breed of cicadas came in 2016, and they were so annoying. Also, there were so many little shells around my plants” said Barfield. 

Additionally, not only is the noise of the cicadas annoying, but the sheer mass of them is terrifying. This summer, billions of cicadas will arrive in NJ. Specifically, there can be up to 1.4 million cicadas emerging per acre, mostly in Burlington, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Salem, Somerset, and Warren counties. 

As of May 31st, not many cicadas have been seen in New Providence, or New Jersey as a whole. That is because the temperature needs to consistently reach 64 degrees Farenheit before the cicadas can swarm from the ground. The cicadas are expected to come out of the soil in the first week of June, but that date could possibly be pushed back depending on the weather. 

“So far, I don’t think I’ve seen any cicadas, but I remember they used to be around the trees in my backyard” said NPHS sophomore, Alexander Robson. 

When the cicadas are close to arriving, you will notice finger-sized holes in the ground near trees, or chimney-like tunnels poking out of the ground. These are both signals of cicadas emerging from the ground. Once emerged, the cicadas will lay eggs on the outer parts of pencil-size branches. 

Specifically, this type of cicada, Brood X, or Great Eastern Brood, is one of the twenty-three cicada breeds. They are one of the largest cicada breeds, reaching almost two inches long. 

“I’ve seen cicadas appearing in other places from TikTok, and they look huge!” said Tanvi Silvester, a sophomore at NPHS. 

Although they can be annoying, these cicadas are nothing to worry about. They don’t generally fly farther than one hundred feet, and they’re not that interested in you. Also, they won’t destroy any plants, as they refrain from eating plant tissues. It’s really only four to six weeks with the noise, as the cicadas will die off in mid-June or early-July, as they will have mated and laid their eggs by then.