Cicada map 2025: New sightings of Brood XIV class seen in multiple states after 17 years
Spring is in full gear with warmer temperatures, rainy weather and of course, the arrival of one of the noisiest insects.
Neighborhoods in the eastern half of the United States have already begun hearing buzzing and clicking as cicadas make their 2025 debut.
While a nuisance to some, the bugs' presence marks a rare occurrence as the Brood XIV class is emerging for the first time since 2008. The second largest periodical cicada brood appears every 17 years.
Sightings are expected to occur in 13 U.S. states this year, Gene Kritsky, a professor at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, told Paste BN.
Since last week, sightings in the Asheville, North Carolina, area have risen from 140 to 739, according to Kristsky's group, Cicada Safari, which crowdsources and reviews data on the insects.
Here’s what you need to know about Brood XIV, including whether cicadas will buzz in your area this year.
Where have cicadas started to emerge?
So far, most of the cicadas added to this year’s Cicada Safari map are in western North Carolina, southern Kentucky and parts of Tennessee.
As of May 9, cicadas have been reported in the following areas:
- Asheville-area, North Carolina - Around 700 sightings
- West of Knoxville, Tennessee - Around 90 sightings
- Nashville-area, Tennessee - Around 30 sightings
- Memphis, Tennessee area - 2 sightings
- Southern Kentucky - Around 160 sightings
- Western West Virginia - Around 40 sightings
- Cincinnati, Ohio area - Around 10 sightings
- Georgia - Around 10 sightings
- Northern Virginia - 1 sighting
- Trenton, New Jersey - 1 sighting
- Baltimore, Maryland - 1 sighting
To keep track of cicada sightings, download the Cicada Safari mobile app, visit www.cicadamap.msj.edu or www.cicadas.uconn.edu/broods/brood_14.
Which brood of cicadas is emerging in 2025?
This spring, residents can expect to see cicadas from Brood XIV, or periodical cicadas that emerge every 17 years.
It's considered to be among the largest periodical cicada broods along with Brood XIX, which emerged in 2024, according to the University of Connecticut.
Which states are expecting cicadas?
States expecting cicadas this year include Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, Kritsky said.
Kentucky and Tennessee probably will get the most cicadas this year, said John Cooley, an ecology and biology associate professor in residence at the University of Connecticut. There will also be large numbers in Georgia, the Carolinas and Pennsylvania, he said.
How long will cicadas stick around?
Cicadas, which are called nymphs in their immature stage, don’t all emerge in one night, Kritsky said.
“It takes about two full weeks for the great bulk of the cicadas to come out,” he said. “Once they start coming out at a specific location, that starts the clock. You’ll have cicadas at that location for the next six weeks.”
The nymphs first make their way out of the ground, then crawl up a tree or an upright surface, Kritsky said. They then lock their claws onto the surface they’ve chosen.
According to Cooley, come July, there will hardly be any sign of cicadas minus the holes in the ground and the eggs in the trees.
How does this year's brood compare with last year's?
Kritsky said this year's brood, XIV, will be heavy in some areas. The two broods from last year – the 13-year Brood XIX and the 17-year Brood XIII – emerged in more states, however.
Another large 17-year brood, Brood X, emerged in 2021 in Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
Can cicadas give me mites?
Areas with a high cicadas presence often lure oak leaf itch mites through their eggs, Kritsky said. People may be bitten by mites if they spend time under oak trees six to 10 weeks after the cicadas laid their eggs.
“The eggs start to hatch, but when they hatch, also leaving the egg nests are the mites,” he said. “They drop out of the egg nests onto people and cause an itching reaction.”
The answer to preventing the itching sensation is simple, he said: “If they start emerging in mid-May, don’t sit under the oak tree during the month of July.”
Why do cicadas buzz?
The buzzing noise associated with cicadas is their version of singing, Cooley said. The males sing three types of songs, engage in duets with the females and then mate, he told Paste BN.
Is my garden safe with cicadas?
Kritsky said people worried about their gardens should not fret. Cicadas don’t eat, they drink, he said.
They initially feed on grass roots and then later puncture the xylem tissue that carries water to tree leaves.
If anything, the only damage cicadas cause is when females lay eggs at the ends of branches, sometimes breaking branches and turning the leaves brown.
“However, that doesn't kill the tree,” he said. “It actually can be possibly beneficial because it‘s like a natural pruning. ... The flower next year will be even larger.”
How to track cicada sightings
Kritsky collects data on cicadas via his Cicada Safari app and website. He encourages parents and guardians to talk to their children about cicadas and try out some of the activities he has listed on his website.
Cicada enthusiasts can even talk to their parents and grandparents about cicadas that have emerged over the past few decades.
“If you're lucky enough to live in an area where the cicadas are and you’ve got kids, take them outside during the night,” he said. “Let them see this. This is a once-in-a-generation activity. They'll never forget it.”
Brood XIV: See the 2025 cicada map
This map shows roughly where Brood XIV is expected to make an appearance this spring, however, experts say it can be tricky to know exactly which counties will have confirmed sightings.
Contributing: Emily DeLetter