Cicada and Cicada Killers Reports From New England and The United States

Below are just some of the readers who have submitted information and pictures on Annual Cicada and Cicada Killer sightings. Want your report to be seen here? Then fill in our new Cicada or Cicada Killer Report Form by clicking here or the link under the "Report Cicadas" section of the navigation menu to the left.

Report Brood XIII Cicada Activity

If you are from Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan or Wisconsin, be sure to write in and give us some reports on the Periodical Cicada emergence. You will be transfered to our online form where you will be able to even your pictures in one easy step.

Below are the User-Submitted Cicada Reports for May 2007

05/29/07 - Massachusetts Cicadas - Brood XIV Periodical Cicadas

These little darlings were on Cape Cod in 1991 so they are due back next year. Do you have any idea when they will come out of the ground and for how long? I don't want to be here when they are and need to start looking for someplace to go! I grew up in Boston and am still a city person!

Mary

Hi Mary

Well, since we are so far north and Massachusetts is the northern-most range for the Brood XIV Magicicadas, we can hope to see them around the first week of june into the first full week of july.

Not to worry though, they are only supposed to be along the cape and also Martha's Vineyard so just avoid those areas and you should be safe.

Have fun,
Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.asp

05/29/07 - Question For The Cicada Guy!

hey, I'm here in Chicago in the middle of the 17-year-swarm. Takin some
macro shots, I noticed most of the red eyed cicadas have three small "dots"
on what would be considered their forheads, between eyeballs. What are those, extra eyes? I have heard just one source call them "frons", but I
cant be sure it's reliable. What say you? (sending with a picture of said
dots.)

Diego

Hey Diego

Those three dots in the middle of a cicada's forehead are actually simple eyes known as "ocelli" or "ocellus" in the singular. Lots of insects have these ocelli like wasps, grasshoppers and mantids.

I believe they are used to detect movement and certain wavelengths of light.

Hope that helps.

Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.asp

05/20/07 - Early Brood XIV Periodical Cicada Emergences, Loveland, OHIO

Hey Gerry,

I finally found one tonight! It was in the back part of my backyard camouflaged under the weeds. Probably male cassini.

Hey Roy!!

Congratulations!! Yep, those sure do look like M. cassini.

Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.asp

05/15/07 - First Exuvium of The Season Found - Batavia, OH

Email:
First Name: Roy
Last Name: Troutman
State: Ohio
County: Clermont
Town: Batavia
Date of Sighting: 5/15/07
Outside Temperature: 84 degrees
Time of Day: 3PM
North Coordinate:
West Coordinate:
Comments: Found my first exuvium today in my backyard. As an interesting side note it was found in the same spot my first exuvium was found in 2004. I also heard a M.cassini yesterday in Perintown, about 3 miles north of here.

05/13/07 - Massachusetts Cicadas Sightings

Hello,

I found your site by searching for what type of insect I saw last night. (I had never seen anything like it). I did try to fill out the sighting form, but received an error message.

I was at a friends house and asked if I could pick a few of her lilacs. It was around 8:00 p.m., somewhere in the low to mid 60s. When I went to pull off some flowers, she warned me that there was a large bee on the ones I was about to pick. I looked at it, and said it was way too large to for a bee. When it started to fly, she said "it's a baby humming bird"! At first, I thought she was correct because of the way it's wings were moving and we also noticed what resembled to be a beak. But, at further observing, I noticed several legs. This was no hummingbird, but some strange bug! I believe it was what you're looking for!

Hope this helps with your research.

Hi Karen

I am sorry that the form did not work for you. It is probably because it was looking for an image which is a requirement to use that form. If you didn't attach a picture, then that is why it didn't work.

Without a photo verification, it would be difficult to verify for sure that it was a cicada.

Can you tell me where you are located?

Thanks
Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.asp

I am in Leominster. In looking at photos of Cicadas, I'm pretty sure that's what it was. It's body was shaped like a pear-shaped diamond. (Best way I can describe it). It almost looked fuzzy in a way, like a tarantula's body. It looked like it had dark bands, which is why my friend first mistakened it for a bee. It also seemed to have some green in the body, which is why we then thought perhaps it was a hummingbird. It definately had a beak-like snout since we observed it drinking from the flowers. The wings looked like a "V" as it was flying. It wasn't until I noticed at least 2 sets of legs when I realized it wasn't a bird! One thing for sure, it was BIG!

Karen

05/11/07 - First Signs of Magicicadas in Loveland, Ohio

Hey Gerry, I just wanted to report that I found 5 fresh chimneys last Tuesday at my parents home in Loveland. I found 6 stragglers there in 1990 so I will keep track & let you know if I can confirm exuviae or live adults.

State: Ohio
County: Hamilton
Town: Loveland
Date of Sighting: 5/8/07
Outside Temperature:
Time of Day: late afternoon
North Coordinate: 39º15'39.46"
West Coordinate: 84º16'37.29"

Much Thanks Roy!

But according to the available distribution maps for Brood XIII the state of Ohio is not part of the emergence. Could these be early arrivals of Brood XIV? They are scheduled to be in Ohio next year. Unless of course the data is not even accurate from 17 years ago!!

Thanks

Gerry

Update:

These are Brood XIV stragglers. I found 6 stragglers in 1990 at the same general location; the year before Brood XIV 1991. I didn't find any chimneys that year so there may be a larger straggler emergence this year. I will keep you updated.

Thx,

Roy

05/02/7 - Barnstable County Cicadas '91 - Part 2

Hello Gerry

As you were so much older (no offense, but there's a world of difference between someone in their 20's and someone turning 10) than I during the last emergence, I'll take your word for it. As I said, I wanted more to reassure you that there were at least some cicadas 16 years ago and hopefully will be again than to guarantee a bumper crop - I'm no entymologist. I saw your bulletin about early emergence so if I see or hear anything this year I'll let you know. Thanks for the site, it was easier to determine whether the emergence was this year or next year than to go to wikipedia and find out when Hurricane Bob hit and then adding 17.

PJ

Hi PJ

Yeah, I'm old :) But I tell you, you're only as old as you feel.

If you do see any early signs, I would sure appreciate it. I won't be around for the month of June, I'll be off in the mid-west tracking the boundaries of Brood XIII this year. I'll be gone for the entire month so I will have to depend on people such as yourself to report in if you hear or see anything.

Thanks PJ
Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.asp

05/02/07 - Barnstable County Cicadas '91 - Part 1

On your site you write:

However, after talking with a professor at UMASS Amherst, he indicated that their last appearance in 1991 was somewhat dismal. Let's hope they're still around.

I'm certainly no one to contradict a professor (and wouldn't really know how to compare cicada emergences) but I was living on Cape Cod during the summer of '91. I was only nine years old, but my impression was that there were plenty of cicadas. I can still remember the very loud buzzing, and the way they decimated the deciduous trees in the area.

Granted, there are is a large outside factor to the summer of '91: it was the summer Hurricane Bob hit here. The salt spray helped take out the leaves and a week without electricity might help focus on the outside noises of insects, plus seeing an emergence as a nine year old might help me remember it as bigger than it was. But I don't think you have to worry that they're still around. There are still conservation lands and untouched forests for them to emerge in.

Sincerely
PJ McGonigle

Hi PJ

Thanks for writing in. I too was around in 1991. Back then I was 28 years old and while I wasn't studying cicadas then, I also don't recall many reports on the local news discussing the cicada emergence in New England.

I think what the professor may have been comparing emergence records from was the beginning of the 20th century up until 1991. If you look at the records and reports of emergences over a long period of time, I think that there is a trend developing which shows that the northing most limits for Brood XIV in its distribution may be receeding.

Plus the terrain has no doubt changed since the early 20th century what with all the development that has gone on.

I am hoping that there will be reports of early emergences this year. Maybe if you're around and you see any signs you can report it.

Thanks PJ
Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.asp