COLUMBIA, Mo. – This could be a noisy summer for southeastern and western Missouri. A brood of 17-year periodical cicadas will emerge in northwestern Missouri (Kansas City and St. Joseph), and a brood of 13-year periodical cicadas will surface in southeastern Missouri (Cape Girardeau).
Wingless nymphs will come out of the ground, climb up on objects (trees, sheds, homes), break out of their exoskeletons and emerge as winged adults. They’ll take to the trees and sing, sing, sing, sing.
The periodical cicadas have one job only—to mate. Prior to this free-for-all mating event, cicadas have spent years underground.
They live underground for 13 or 17 years in the nymphal stage, feeding on tree and plant roots, Barrett said. When the adults emerge they look very different from the annual, or dog day, cicadas.
They are easy pickings for predators, but they come out in such large numbers that they overwhelm all the natural enemies, Barrett said. The birds, mammals and fish that feed on cicadas eat as much as they can, but there are still so many left. It’s a process called predator satiation, he said.
The noise and numbers can seem overwhelming, but they won’t be around for very long. They’ll peak around mid-June and then once they reproduce, once they do what they’re programmed to do, they’ll die. Then you won’t see them again for another 13 or 17 years.
Periodical Cicadas Emerging In Parts Of Missouri
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