When Will All Of These Illinois Cicadas Go Away?

There are a lot of bugs this summer.

Cicadapocalypse 2024 is upon us. Now that temperatures are rising, more cicada sightings are popping up as the Midwest is getting pelted with a once-in-a-lifetime double brood emergence of cicadas that isn't supposed to happen again until 2245. Fun times.

It's resulting in millions of cicadas around here, with their really loud mating songs and bug-selves all over trees and plants.

So when are they supposed to just go away?

According to NBC Chicago, it's going to be a hot minute before we're done with the cicadas this year.

The first batch of them (this double brood thing) are periodical cicadas that will hang around until mid-June (remember when you complain about their mating call: their lifespans are just about 4 weeks once they come up from the earth so they got a lot to accomplish). They come out every 13-17 years, according to the University of Illinois.

But we aren't gonna be done with them then.

Next we have dog-day cicadas that emerge July through September. These are the annual cicadas that we think of when we think of late summer. So maybe by like October we'll be done with cicadas for this year?

We will probably have a few weeks' worth of a break in the cicada song between the two emergences. The amount of huge cicada sightings continues to climb, especially in Illinois.

And yes, if you're feeling adventurous, cicadas are edible. Some students that have eaten them raw said they tasted like almonds.