Here's why Brood X cicadas could be reemerging in Louisville this year

There's a buzz about some lazy Brood X cicadas that might have missed their wake-up call. 

Last year, millions of Brood X cicadas emerged after a 17-year slumber in parts of the eastern United States, and now a few of the sleepy stragglers could be reemerging, including in Louisville. 

Late Brood X cicadas miscounted, so to speak, the amount of time between seasons, according to Jonathan Larson, an assistant professor of entomology at the University of Kentucky. 

Periodical cicadas, or ones that emerge every 13 to 17 years like Brood X, suck sap from the trees above while underground to get nutrients to grow big and strong to make noise, specifically those made by males ready to mate. 

"It’s not like they’re scratching on the wall making little tally marks or anything like that," Larson, whose Twitter handle is @bugmanjon, said of the late arrivals. But they might get bamboozled by more or less sap in a given cycle, causing their biological clocks to be off by a year or two in either direction. 

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Larson said Louisville is a hot spot for Brood X procrastinators. We should be seeing them now, and they'll be more noticeable in a couple of weeks, around the same time as irises. 

Cicadas love hanging out by rivers, large creeks and streams, and of course, Louisville is situated perfectly for reemergence because it's in the Ohio River Valley, Larson said. 

The soil must reach about 64 degrees before cicadas can reemerge, but soil temperature is consistent so once they start coming, they don't stop coming, Larson said. 

In 2021, the number of emerging cicadas resembled the best Mardi Gras everywhere, where everyone dies at the end,  Larson said. This year you can expect a quieter party, but there could still be damage done to your trees. Female cicadas can lay their eggs in high branches of tall trees, weakening the tree's structure.  

"It might be noticeable but won’t be anything like what they experienced last summer," Larson said. 

We can expect the insects to stick around about a month, from mid-May into June. 

Fun fact: Cicadas can actually be up to three to four years late (or early) depending on weather patterns, Larson said, before adding: "It doesn't make a lot of sense how they could mess it up." 

People can track cicadas on apps like Cicada Safari, which helps scientists analyze their behavior so that, one day, we might have clearer answers about why the bugs are late. It could help scientists determine causes like climate change or urbanization, Larson said. 

The next emergence of Brood X is supposed to take place in 2038. But in some bugs' cases, that's give or take a few years.

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Contact reporter Rae Johnson at RNJohnson@gannett.com. Follow them on Twitter at @RaeJ_33.