Summertime brings warm weather and fun outdoor activities but there might be one thing you have to watch out for: Cicadas.

While cicadas do come out annually, there will be something different this year.

For the first time in 221 years, two broods of cicadas will overlap: Brood XIX and Brood XII.

Indiana had Brood X in 2021.

Dr. Armin Moczek is a professor in the Department of Biology. He shared the impact that cicadas had in the past and how they affect you.

This will cause more cicadas than usual.

According to NBC News, “When the insects emerge, they do so in big numbers. And they’re not exactly quiet in their mating frenzy.”

You do have to be careful about the noise levels of the cicadas.

“The insects are known to emit a high-pitched buzz, or mating song, that can reach up to 100 decibels – roughly equivalent to a motorcycle or jackhammer,” said NBC News.

A billion cicadas are expected to come out this summer.

According to Purdue Forestry & Natural Resources, “Brood XIII cicadas will emerge in parts of Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin and possibly Michigan.”

Brood XIX will be in 15 states including Indiana and Kentucky.

A majority of the Broods of cicadas will be in Illinois.

The sound of cicadas might annoy you, but they are not dangerous.

Dr. Marc Lame is a Professor Emeritus at IU’s O’Neill School of Environmental and Public Affairs. He shared how the cicadas will impact you this summer.

Moczek also shared how the environment could be affected.

“Anecdotal data tells us that if you look into the trees rings and growth rings every year that follows a cicada emergence you get proportionate growth as if you are sort of fertilizing the tree with the dead decaying insect bodies,” said Moczek.

One thing that could be a problem is if you recently planted any trees.

According to CNN, “…if you have young trees, cicadas could potentially damage them when the insects cut into branches to lay their eggs.”

“When they lay their eggs, envision an Oak tree with branches, now pick out the last foot of each branch, when the branch is already very thin, this is where they lay their eggs and in the process they cause a decent amount of mechanical damage,” said Moczek.

Moczek also said that the process of laying their eggs could cause the branches to wilt and not grow many acorns.

IU is hosting a cicada contest this summer.

You can track cicadas and upload what you find through an app.

For more information, go to Cicadas – Visual Literacy & Maps