See photos of the hordes of 17-year cicadas currently emerging throughout Wisconsin

Claire Reid, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·3 min read

Over the past few weeks, Brood XIII 17-year cicadas have emerged in parts of Wisconsin for the first time since 2007.

The insects are known for their noisy buzzing and chirping and the crunchy carcasses they leave behind. They don't bite or sting and are a welcome treat for a variety of Wisconsin wildlife species. Still, the bugs can be quite a nuisance to humans.

After emerging from the ground following a long juvenile period, adult 17-year cicadas only live for about four to six weeks. They won't emerge uniformly across Wisconsin this summer, experts say. Rather, some areas, like Milwaukee County, are not expected to see any cicadas while "cicada hot spots" like Lake Geneva could see millions in June.

Social media users in the state's cicada hot spots have taken to Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter) to share photos of the bugs. Here's a look at them.

More: 17-year cicadas are emerging now in Wisconsin. Here's where you can find them

Millions of cicadas are emerging right now in Wisconsin

Where are 17-year cicadas emerging in summer 2024?

PJ Liesch, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Insect Diagnostics Lab, created this map showing where 17-year cicadas have emerged in the past in Wisconsin and are likely to surface again:

This map, created by director of UW-Madison's Insect Diagnostics Lab PJ Liesch, shows where 17-year Brood XIII cicadas have emerged in Wisconsin in the past.
This map, created by director of UW-Madison's Insect Diagnostics Lab PJ Liesch, shows where 17-year Brood XIII cicadas have emerged in Wisconsin in the past.

The map below from USA TODAY shows which counties are likely to see Brood XIII 17-year cicadas. The map also shows which counties will see Brood XIX 13-year cicadas this summer. Although Wisconsin isn't expected to see the 13-year species, this is the first time in over 200 years that Broods XIX and XIII will emerge in the same summer.

More: Cicadas have re-emerged in Wisconsin for the first time in 17 years. Why that isn't all bad news.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: See photos of the millions of cicadas emerging throughout Wisconsin