I was expecting cicadas

Just because it's not the large brood doesn't mean no cicadas at all, does it?

I have not seen or heard any.

It's waaaaaay too early here for this emergence. We are usually deep into summer before I start hearing their distictive bzzzzzzzzzzzzz. They are pretty much a non factor--except for their noise that always sounds like bussing power lines to me. It's the Cicada wasps that we dread. If you let those things nest on your property you will have a fight on your hands!! They love to burrow under cement/patio slabs. Be VIGILENT!!

https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/10-facts-about-cicada-killer-wasps/

The comments that follow the article are interesting.

It's not too early in many parts of their expected emergence territory. According to USA Today (5/7/24): "Adult periodical cicadas from Brood XIX have been spotted by users in multiple states across the Southeast and Midwest including in Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia and Illinois, according to Cicada Safari, a cicada tracking app developed by Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cicada Safari users have also identified Brood XIII cicadas in Illinois and Iowa. "

None in north Missouri yet, but on several of my gardening Facebook groups there are vast numbers of people demonstrating hysteria about a cicada onslaught. I’ve been a gardener for more than 50 years and I’m not expecting anything more than a ho-hum event.

I suspect the hysteria is being fanned by sellers of ”plant protection” items. Go figure.

Media term "Cicadalypse".

The last time this happened was in 1803 and won't happen again until 2245!! 50 years of gardening is a mere drop in the bucket compared to this phenomenon.

arkansas has a hatch going ... bright red 'evil-looking' eyes

As gardengal has quoted above, I was expecting the usual 17-year-cycle cicadas of Brood XIX in my area of the midwest this year.

I have not seen mention of the years of 1803 and 2245 in connection with cicada invasions. Where can I read more about this aspect?

I remember cicadas in Texas, but I must have seen them only once, since I did not stay there that long. We do not have them in California.

Around here we have been hearing about the convergence emergence, but it turns out the convergence is downstate, and we will get ”just” the 17-year brood, no 13s. Oh well. I recall from 2007 that is was weird and LOUD and then it was over.

Today I read that emergences like this often lead to ”bumper crops” of woodpeckers and blue jays. Drat.

The unique convergence of both the 17 year and 13 year broods happens only once every 221 years.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cicadas-are-coming-rare-dual-emergence-could-bring-one-trillion-of-the-bugs-this-year-180983635/

Thanks for the link. It appears that I am not in a convergence area so my 50 years of gardening experience will stand me in good stead. ☺️

No sign of them here so far, the typical annual cicadas usually show up during the heat of July/August.

I know around Chicagoland it isn't quite warm enough for full emergence yet. A couple sightings in the burbs, but in general the 8" is still at 61, so got another three degrees before full emergence kicks in. It was a cooler rainy week with some warm temps, but a full warm week coming up. Still kind of low on the overnights. So maybe next week they will start to seeing more emergence.

They’ve been ’singing’ here for several days now. So loud sometimes we can hear them in the house if it’s quiet.

Bees, I’m in Chicagoland, too, and yes, a little too chilly yet where I am.

Our forest preserve district has a nice explanation (and amazing drawings) of the cicadas. I’m sure we have all seen this information, but I really liked the presentation here.

Cicadas, scroll down to page through the publication.

We don’t have them in the PNW but I am curious if anything eats them? If so, does that mean a boom in population of their well fed predators?

A lot of stuff eats them. Land, air, and water critters. Anything that normally will eat a bug will get their fill, and even some things that don't normally eat as much will still glut out. Not necessarily a boom in populations, but for sure well fed this time.

The noted natural predator is a cicada killer wasp. It kills to bring home food for the babies. However, it emerges later in summer and will miss the big feed coming up soon. But people will still likely kill this beneficial wasp anyway once they do emerge.

Neighbors just got back from North Carolina--people are saying they are trapped inside. They have hatched and they are LOUD evidently.