‘They are all over my yard’: Brood X cicadas start to emerge in the region

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Brood X cicadas are beginning to emerge in the Miami Valley as temperatures continue to climb this week.

The periodic cicadas appear every 17 years, and billions are expected to emerge this spring and summer in parts of Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey and Maryland.

Andy Carter submitted this photo to the Dayton Daily News of two cicadas on a tire in Kettering in the Hills and Dales neighborhood.

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Most people who’ve reported cicada sightings so far are in southern Montgomery County.

Two people in Kettering submitted photos of cicadas near the Hills and Dales neighborhood.

Andy Carter shared a picture of two cicadas on a tire, and Mari Foster submitted photos of the insects clinging to grass on South Patterson Boulevard.

Mari Foster submitted this photo of cicadas clinging to grass in Kettering. The Brood X cicadas are emerging for the first time in 17 years this spring and summer.

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“You have to look closely, but they are all over my yard,” she said.

Foster even saw a squirrel snacking on a cicada.

Barbara Kedziora in Oakwood spotted cicadas walking around quietly on Ridgewood Avenue on Tuesday evening.

Barbara Kedziora spotted some cicadas walking around Ridgewood Avenue in Oakwood on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. The Brood X cicadas molt once they emerge, then dry their wings, mate, lay eggs and die.

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Leslie Parsons in West Carrollton shared photos showing several cicada exoskeletons on a tree. These are left behind after cicadas molt into adults.

Leslie Parsons sent in photos of several cicada exoskeletons on a tree in West Carrolton. The exoskeletons are left behind after cicadas crawl out of the ground and molt into adults.

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Vickie Williams caught a cicada climbing up her porch furniture in Springfield.

Vickie Williams spotted a cicada climbing up her patio furniture in Springfield.

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The insects begin to emerge once the soil temperature hits 64 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Cicadas are known for their piercing noises and a group of cicadas can be as loud as 100 decibels.

Though they can be a nuisance, the insects are not harmful to people or toxic to pets. However, animals who eat too many cicadas may get an upset stomach and vomit.

Typically cicadas only live for a few weeks. After emerging and molting, they dry their wings, mate, lay eggs and die.

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