Illinois to Be Invaded by 1 Trillion Cicadas

There are many in Illinois that remember a time decades ago when cicadas were so thick, people had to remove them with snow shovels. Believe it or not, the incoming cicada army in 2024 will make that look like a minor event as experts say the Land of Lincoln is about to see more cicadas than it's seen in more than 200 years.

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This alarming cicada report comes from DNYUZ. They shared this historic cicada forecast which says that there are 2 major broods of cicadas which are about to make a dual emergence. They shared this incredible comment on what this means:

The last time the Northern Illinois Brood’s 17-year cycle aligned with the Great Southern Brood’s 13-year period, Thomas Jefferson was president.

In other words, Illinois hasn't seen as many cicadas as it will see during the spring of 2024 since 1803.

The University of Illinois/Champaign, Urbana shared what happened during another huge cicada invasion during the spring of 1990:

In 1990, there were reports from people in Chicago having to use snow shovels to clear their sidewalks of the dead cicadas.

Since these bugs don't live long, once the cicadas die off, they will be everywhere. The University of Illinois estimates more than a trillion and a half cicadas per acre.

When will this Illinois cicada invasion begin?

The cicada swarms should begin to infiltrate Illinois and Missouri beginning in late April/early May. This will be great news for the birds that will eventually be feasting on them. For the rest of us that don't love cicadas, not so much.