Cicadas Set To Emerge This Spring

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- A noisy nuisance will be returning after a 17 year hiatus.

Cicadas are insects that emerge from underground every 17 years. We sat down with Ohio State Extension Educator Clifton Martin to discuss what the return of cicadas means for us.

“Cicadas are going to be emerging this spring about late May early June. They are going to be a nuisance. The kind of the bottom line. They are going to be here. They are going to be around. They are going to be buzzing over people’s shoulders. They are going to be a presence. There’s not a whole lot that we can do,” said Martin.

Martin said these pesky creatures are primarily located on the eastern side of the state.

“So anywhere you travel in the eastern side of the state, you’re probably going to encounter some cicadas. Where they really cause some problems and where we might see damage would be in new young trees. If anybody is thinking about planting trees right now, we would recommend to wait until after this emergence occurs. Wait until to the end of June to do any tree planting,” said Martin.

Martin said the cicada is one of the longest living insects.