Remember the cicada-geddon parts of the Midwest experienced last summer? It's back! Experts say a massive brood of periodical cicadas -- billions of them -- is set to emerge in 2025, swarming parts of Kentucky and Tennessee and appearing along the East Coast.
Specifically, they'll also make an appearance in New York and Pennsylvania, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.
So, what exactly are these noisy little guys? Periodical cicadas are large insects with red eyes and translucent wings. They emerge together in large numbers in either 13-year or 17-year intervals. "They are sometimes mistakenly associated with locusts, like grasshoppers, but cicadas are actually an entirely different sort of insect, part of the same family as stink bugs and bedbugs," CBS New York reported.
The upcoming emergence has been deemed Brood XIV, and it's expected to be the second-largest brood ever of periodical cicadas. But don't be concerned as experts say they don't bite or sting. They're not poisonous or venomous. But they are food source for birds and as they decompose provide essential soil nutrients for trees.
Based on where they laid eggs in the past and conditions like soil temperature, experts say the brood is coming soon, especially in warmer locations. June 21 is the most common date one will see them, experts say.
If you want to see if your neighborhood will be affected, check out this map generated by the University of Connecticut.