Cicadas in Maryland

Do you live on the eastern shore? Then there’s a good chance you’ve met a Brood X cicada by now, maybe even up closer than you’d like.

The 2021 phenomenon involves billions of the loud, winged insects emerging from the ground in a quantity not seen in 17 years.

• The 17-year periodical cicadas in Brood X will emerge when the soil 8” below the surface reaches 64 degrees Fahrenheit. The 2021 emergence has begun in some areas of Maryland as of mid-May.
• This is a natural and fascinating occurrence! Billions of cicadas synchronize their emergence to overwhelm predators.
• Cicadas are large charismatic insects in the order Hemiptera. They have sucking mouthparts which they use to feed on the xylem (water transporting tissue) of trees.

There are two types of cicadas — annual cicadas, also known as dog-day cicadas, which appear every year from July to September — and periodical cicadas, which arise every 13 or 17 years from May through June. Different species of periodical cicadas are broken up into geographically defined broods, such as Brood X, which live between Georgia and New York.

Their life cycles are spent mostly underground, where they feed on tree roots, emerging so rarely and in such large numbers to ward off potential predators, solely to reproduce. And on that 17th year, when the cicadas of Brood X finally arrive, as if by some ancient natural clockwork, they will do so only once the soil reaches the perfect temperature.

I know this can be a crazy thing to experience, especially if this is your first time witnessing it. However, you shouldn’t worry. Cicadas are harmless and unlike some other bugs, they tend to not effect gardens or crops. They come out of the ground solely for the purpose of mating and reproducing. They spend on average 4–6 weeks above ground, reproducing, then they turn back around and go underground again for an extended period of time. So enjoy the show while you can! It will be over before you know it and things will be back to normal soon enough. Let’s look at the bright side of this situation, birds and squirrels will be so full from eating all the cicadas they can over these next few weeks, they’re most likely going to leave whatever vegetables you’re growing alone. So in effect, this could actually help if you have a garden in your yard.