A year after billions of Brood X cicadas emerged from a 17-year slumber, a few stragglers may crop up this month.
It's not uncommon for a small number of Brood X cicadas to emerge after 18 years, Gene Kritsky, a professor, entomologist and cicada expert at Mount St. Joseph University said.
A look back:With the Brood X cicadas emergence, 2021 was Gene Kritsky's year. Here are his reflections.
But why are they coming out now? The emergence has to do with hitting the right soil temperatures, and southern states are usually the first to reach the critical soil temperature exceeding 64 degrees.
"It is not unusual to have a few of these late arrivals," Kritsky said.
The first cicadas may have already started emerging in late April and early May in some areas. By mid-May, they could emerge in Southern Indiana, Ohio and Maryland and a week later in Northern Indiana, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Kritsky said with the forecast calling for multiple days with temperatures in the 80s this week, he expects the few Brood X latecomers to begin emerging around Cincinnati soon.
They're often not noticed by humans because they're quickly eaten by birds or other predators, Kritsky said, but they could be spotted over the next few weeks in Virginia, Washington, DC, Maryland, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana.
Most people will see one to two Brood X cicadas, Kritsky said, "nowhere near what was around last year."
"It will be like looking for a four-leaf clover," he added.
When will Brood X return to Cincinnati?
Brood X cicadas previously emerged in Cincinnati in 1978, 2004 and, of course, in 2021. They will return in 2038.
A cicada's legacy:Here's how they'll impact Cincinnati after they're gone
In addition to the few Brood X stragglers, annual cicadas will emerge in late June to July, and are beneficial to the region's ecology. They lay eggs in trees, which boosts the number of flowers and fruits in successive years.
Brood and annual cicadas are easily identifiable. Brood cicadas have red eyes and only come out in certain years. Annual cicadas have black or green eyes and are bigger than brood cicadas. While they don't come out in massive numbers, they make loud sounds while hidden in trees.
They also turn over massive amounts of soil when they emerge and decaying cicada bodies contribute nutrients to the soil.
Cicadas do not sting, bite or carry diseases, and although they are sometimes misidentified as locusts (which are grasshoppers), they are more closely related to aphids than grasshoppers.
More:This tick's bite can cause an allergy to red meat, and it's found in Ohio. Here's what to know.
How to track Brood X cicadas this year
With the help of Mount St. Joseph University, Kritsky developed an app, Cicada Safari, that allows anyone to search for, photograph, take video of, and map cicadas. The app, which can be downloaded via the App Store or Google Play, currently has more than 200,000 downloads, according to a release.
Cicada Safari users can help contribute to scientific research by determining the distribution of emerging cicadas, which allows scientists to assess the status of cicada broods.
The corresponding Cicada Safari website also offers more information, including history, maps and activities.
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