2 weeks Ago
Millions of creepy-looking, red-eyed cicadas will soon be emerging from the ground in at least 13 eastern states and making lots of noise as they search for mates. After hiding in the ground for the past 17 years, a group of periodical cicadas known as Brood XIV or Brood 14 will be popping up in several areas of New Jersey, along with parts of central and eastern Pennsylvania and other states, when soil temperatures warm up this spring. Experts say the ideal soil temperature for triggering the cicada emergence is usually 64 degrees — a mark typically reached in southern states in late April and in northern states, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania, in early to mid-May.
So the Garden State region likely still has several weeks to go before we will see — or hear — the buzzing Brood 14 cicadas. Can’t see the map? You can view it here . States favored to see Brood 14 cicadas Cicada experts say parts of these 13 U.
S. states are most likely to see and hear the winged insects when they begin to make their distinctive, ear-piercing mating calls this spring: Georgia — far northern region Indiana — central and southern regions Kentucky — multiple regions across state Maryland — western region Massachusetts — southeast region New Jersey — parts of Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean counties New York — Long Island region North Carolina — western region Ohio — southern region Pennsylvania — central, eastern and southeastern regions Tennessee — northern, eastern, south-central regions Virginia — western and west-central regions West Virginia — northern and southern regions Millions of cicadas that look like this will be emerging from the ground in parts of New Jersey and other eastern states in the spring of 2025, experts say. This photo shows Brood X cicadas that emerged in the Princeton area of New Jersey in May 2021.
Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Cicada hot spots in N.J.
Researchers say it’s difficult to pinpoint the precise areas that will get large clusters of cicadas because the projected locations are based on reported and confirmed sightings mapped out during previous 17-year life cycles — some dating back to the early 1900s. So, it’s not an exact science. Based on past emergences, this spring’s batch of Brood 14 cicadas in New Jersey will likely be limited to parts of several counties.
The Cicada Mania website, known as a reliable source of information about all types of cicadas, says the Brood 14 buzzers are expected to emerge in Atlantic, Camden and Ocean counties. In addition, some maps based on previous cicada sightings indicate there could be “light emergences” of Brood 14 cicadas this spring in parts of Bergen, Burlington, Cape May, Mercer and Monmouth counties. Researchers at the University of Connecticut say there have been documented Brood 14 cicada sightings in these three areas of New Jersey in the past, so they have a high probability of seeing new batches of cicadas this spring: The Linwood area of Atlantic County The Pine Hill area of Camden County The Lakehurst area of Ocean County Gene Kritsky, an entomologist and researcher who has been studying cicadas for more than 45 years, has created an app called Cicada Safari to allow the public to help track the emergence of the Brood 14 cicadas.
The red-eyed insects will be coming out of the ground in vast numbers in late April and May of 2025. Gene Kritsky | Mount St. Joseph University How to report a cicada sighting Gene Kritsky , a nationally known cicada researcher, is asking anyone who sees a Brood 14 cicada this spring to snap a photo of it and submit the location to the Cicada Safari mobile app .
The app is free and can be downloaded from the Apple app store or Google Play . Kritsky said each photo is reviewed and verified before it is posted on the app — which includes an interactive map that can be searched so users can see if any Brood 14 cicadas have been spotted in their towns. They can even zoom into their own neighborhoods.
The app was developed by Kritsky in conjunction with the Center for IT Engagement at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati prior to the big Brood X cicada emergence in the spring of 2021. Stories by Len Melisurgo Wildfire in South Jersey spreads to 1,000 acres N.
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