- Brood XIV
Brood XIV (also known as Brood 14) is one of 15 separate broods of
periodical cicada s that appear regularly throughout the midwesternUnited States . Every 17 years, Brood XIV tunnels "en masse" to the surface of the ground, lays eggs, and then die off in several weeks.Although entomologist C. L. Marlatt published an account in 1907 in which he argued for the existence of 30 broods, over the years a number have been consolidated and only 15 are recognized today as being distinct. [http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/highlights/periodicalCicada.html] Brood XIV is among the 12 different broods with 17-year cycles.
Its last appearance was in the spring and early summer of 1991. It emerged in (2008), and will emerge again in 2025 and 2042. [http://www.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/magicicada/Periodical/BroodXIII.html] [http://buzz.ifas.ufl.edu/g900a.htm]
The 1 1/2 inch long black bugs do not sting or bite. Once they emerge, they spend their short two-week lives climbing trees, shedding their crunchy skins and reproducing. They can number up to several hundred thousand per acre.
2008 Emergence
In Massachusetts, the brood caused a great amount of damage trees in
Mashpee and Falmouth. Yet traveling 5 miles in either way might lead to no cicadas being around. This is due to the fact that the area has had less build-up than the rest of Cape Cod.Gallery
ee also
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Magicicada External links
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