By Angela Hatton
Princeton, KY – Periodical cicadas are making noise in western Kentucky. University of Kentucky Extension Office Etymologist Doug Johnson says cicadas show up all over the world, but periodical ones are unique to the eastern United States. They come in either 13 or 17-year cycles, only emerging from underground to breed and lay eggs. Brood 19 spans from McCracken to Muhlenberg counties.
"A brood is essentially a group of animals that are isolated in time or in space or both from each other, so that they're sexually isolated they can't cross genes."
Johnson expects Brood 19 will be active through late June. The bugs pose no health risk to humans. He says animals love to eat them because of their high fat content, and dogs and cats may become sick from overindulgence. Johnson also suggests waiting to plant new trees until after June because cicada eggs may damage branches and roots.