Cicadas emerging in Chicago northwest suburbs
MOUNT PROSPECT, Illinois (CBS) -- As two broods of cicadas prepare to emerge in Illinois over the next several weeks, some of the noisy insects have started showing up in northwest suburban Mount Prospect.
Melanie Blanke Schaefer spotted cicada nymphs emerging in her back yard on Tuesday.
As she was cleaning up after Tuesday's thunderstorms, she pulled up a patio cushion that had blown over, and revealed cicada holes in her yard, with live cicadas crawling out.
She said the whole thing grossed her out, but she's been watching for them.
It's common for cicada nymphs to emerge from the soil after rainstorms help warm and loosen the ground.
There are two groups of periodical cicadas emerging in Illinois this year — those that emerge every 13 years and those that emerge every 17 years. For most of their lives, cicadas live underground and then emerge once the soil reaches 64 degrees.
Because they are temperature-dependent, their emergences may vary depending on the location. In 2024, they are expected sometime in May or early June, according to Ken Johnson, a horticulture educator at the University of Illinois.