Cicada maps for Illinois show where periodical broods will swarm in 2024

The cicadas are coming! The cicadas are coming!

The Great Cicada Invasion of 2024 in Illinois is almost here, and bug experts have created maps of the attack. OK, the word attack is a bit of hyperbole. The critters are harmless to humans and pets but quite noisy. 

When will cicadas emerge in Illinois? 

There are two groups of periodical cicadas — those that emerge every 13 years and those that emerge every 17 years. For most of their lives, cicadas live underground and emerge once the soil reaches 64 degrees. 

Because they are temperature-dependent, their emergences may vary depending on the location. In 2024, they are expected sometime in May or early June, according to Ken Johnson, a horticulture educator at the University of Illinois.

Cicada map of Illinois for 2024

One brood of cicadas will be prevalent in the northern half of Illinois, while the second brood will be in the southern half of the state. 

Will the Chicago area have cicadas?

Yes!

This is the first time since 1803 that these two types of cicadas have emerged together. There was not even a city of Chicago as we know it today in 1803 – the U.S. government built Fort Dearborn at the present-day intersection of Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive downtown.

It is unlikely that cicadas will be found at the old fort site because it is now a concrete intersection with multiple lanes of traffic. 

However, they will be spotted in areas with mature trees around the city and suburbs. 

"No matter where you go in Illinois, it's going to be hard to escape the cicadas," said Catherine Dana, a cicada expert with the Illinois Natural History Survey at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.    

Cicada map of the United States for 2024

Illinois is undoubtedly at the center of the cicada onslaught. However, the bugs will be spotted elsewhere.