Brood V of the 17-year periodical cicada (Figure 1), which is comprised of three separate species, is due to emerge this spring. The green-shaded area of the map (Figure 2) shows where they are expected. None of the Kentucky Pest News articles from 1999 provided information on activity in Kentucky, but a report by Kritsky et al. (1999) described the brood as “strong” in southeastern Ohio.
Figure 1. Periodical cicada. (Photo: Lee Townsend, UK)
Figure 2. Brood V periodical cicada expected emergence map from 1999 (shaded green)(Map: USDA Forest Service)
There are indications that the western boundary of Brood V in Ohio is at least 10 miles east of its 1914 distribution, and the insects have disappeared from some northern counties. Apparently, small pockets outside of the general brood area can survive for centuries. Therefore, isolated pockets of them may be seen along the Ohio River, possibly in Boyd, Greenup, Lawrence, and Lewis counties.
Additional Information
Kritsky, G., J. Smith, and N.T. Gallagher. 1999. The 1999 Emergence of the Periodical Cicadas in Ohio (Homoptera: Cicadidae: Magicicada spp. Brood V). Ohio Biol. Surv. Notes 2:43-47.
Pest Alert: Periodical Cicada – Brood V (NA-PR-02-99), USDA Forest Service, 1999.
By Lee Townsend, Extension Entomologist
Kentucky Pest News 