When are the Illinois cicadas coming? "Babies" spotted in central Illinois.

When are the Illinois cicadas coming? The short answer: Soon, but not quite yet.

Amid evidence some cicadas are emerging in parts of the U.S., CBS News associate producer Maddy Wierus went on a baby cicada hunt last week in Champaign, Ill., with the University of Illinois entomologist  Dr. Katie Dana.

Baby cicadas found in Champaign

After a bit of digging, Dana found three or four nymphs several inches underground.

"Oh, wait, I see that guy!" Dana said. "He's down in the hole! Oh my gosh. I'm pretty sure unless that's a beetle."

After a closer inspection, it wasn't a beetle. It was actually a cicada, not quite ready to emerge. 

"It's butt sticking out of the hole there," Dana said. "So you can see there's at least three or four there."

Dana said the soil is warming a bit faster than she would like. 

When will cicadas emerge in Illinois?

However, based on the bug's color, these little guys still have some time to spend in the soil before their big reveal, Dana said. 

There are two groups of periodical cicadas — those that emerge every 13 years and those that emerge every 17 years. For most of their lives, cicadas live underground and emerge once the soil reaches 64 degrees. 

Because they are temperature-dependent, cicada 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.