CHICAGO (CBS) — In a few months, the Chicago area will be swarming with millions, if not billions, of noisy cicadas, thanks to a dual emergence that hasn’t been seen in more than 200 years.
This spring, for the first time since 1803 , two separate broods of cicadas will emerge simultaneously. One group emerges from their underground burrows every 13 years, the other emerges every 17 years.
Both broods are expected to emerge when the ground warms up in late April in Illinois and Indiana, while several other states will see cicadas from only one of the two broods. Experts estimate more than a trillion cicadas will emerge nationwide.
“No matter where you go in Illinois, it’s going to be hard to escape the cicadas,” said Catherine Dana, a cicada expert with the Illinois Natural History Survey at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Cicada season’s telltale sign is the noise – the males produce loud buzzing sounds that, according to Orkin pest control company, are primarily used to attract mates.