2025 cicada invasion
The 2025 cicada invasion was the emergence of Brood XIV periodical cicadas in Scott County and surrounding counties.
What are cicadas?
Cicadas are a harmless family of insects that are closely related to bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. There are more than 3,000 species of cicadas worldwide; however, North American cicadas are unique in that they’re among the few cicada species that are periodical.
Periodical means the cicadas only emerge every few years. In North America, periodical cicadas emerge every 13 years or every 17 years. Their schedule is extremely predictable, and they’re classified in broods, depending on which year they emerge. The periodical cicadas found in Scott County are part of Brood XIV. They’re found in much of Middle Tennessee, parts of East Tennessee, much of Kentucky, and smaller parts of southeastern Ohio, southwestern West Virginia and western North Carolina.
Annual cicadas, on the other hand, emerge every year. Like periodical cicadas, annual cicadas spend much of their life below ground — one to nine years, depending on the exact species — but their emergence is not synchronized like periodical cicadas, so they show up every year in much smaller numbers.
Annual cicadas — which are also present in Scott County — do not emerge until late summer. Periodical cicadas, however, emerge once the soil reaches a certain temperature — around 65° at a specific depth — which is in the spring. They also emerge in much greater numbers than annual cicadas; there can be millions of periodical cicadas in a relatively small area. The mating call of annual cicadas is much different than the mating call of periodic cicadas.
The cicada lifespan
Cicadas spend much of their lives below ground. Brood XIV, the species found in Scott County, spend 17 years below ground before emerging. They emerge as adults once the soil temperature has reached a certain warmth, and one of the first things they do is molt, leaving behind an exoskeleton or “shell” that clings to tree trunks or utility poles. Their lifespan above ground is four to six weeks, with a singular purpose of mating.
Males remain in one place and call to attract females. Their mating song sounds like an incessant shrill that is loudest in the mornings and has nearly stopped by late afternoon and early evenings.
After mating, females cut slits into the soft bark of tree limbs and deposit their eggs. This can sometimes cause minor damage to trees.
Once hatched, the nymphs drop to the ground and burrow into the earth, where they spend the next 17 years up to eight feet below the surface, feeding on sap from the roots of trees.
The 2025 emergence
Brood XIV emerged in Scott County and surrounding areas in 2008, and were not seen again until 2025. The Independent Herald reported in March 2025 that their emergence could be expected in May. The first sightings began to be reported on May 1, 2025, and the emergence was fully underway just days later. Many Scott Countians reported their pets — especially dogs — eating the cicadas in great numbers, only to regurgitate them afterwards. Cicadas also provide a feast for many birds and snakes.
By June 1, 2025, the daily drone of the cicadas in woodlots and forests throughout Scott County had become significantly quieter but could still be heard.
Periodic cicadas will next emerge in Scott County in May 2042, when the nymphs that are born in 2025 re-emerge from the earth and molt into adults.
Years of emergence
Brood XIV cicadas emerged in Scott County during the following years:
• 1855
• 1872
• 1889
• 1906
• 1923
• 1940
• 1957
• 1974
• 1991
• 2008
• 2025
Cicadas can be expected to emerge in Scott County during the following years:
• 2042
• 2059
• 2076
• 2093
• 2110
• 2127
• 2144