As cicadas slowly begin to burrow up from the ground with plans to spread across the area, one iconic Chicago location will soon declare itself a "Cicada-Free Zone." Well, sort of.
According to organizers, the declaration is "more playful than conclusive." Still, the spot -- Navy Pier -- could prove to be less attractive to cicadas due to its manmade construction and water surroundings, a press release said.
"In a friendly game of pun-upmanship, popular spots along the South Dock will post their own warnings to unwanted winged guests, such as 'All Suds. No Bugs,' (Navy Pier Beer Garden), 'Take a Spin Without the Din' (Centennial Ferris Wheel), 'Lakeside Glamour Without the Clamor' (Sable Hotel), 'Cheezborger! Cheezborger! No Bugs, Spuds' (Billy Goat Tavern), 'Buzz Responsibly' (Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville Bar and Grill), and many more," the release said.
According to officials, the official declaration will take place Thursday morning. Organizers will wear "The Great Cicada Escape" tee-shirts, while performers will sing a parody of "Simon & Garfunkel's "Cecilia," aptly called "Cicada."
There's no telling whether the cicadas set to emerge in Illinois will visit the Pier or not. However, experts say they're much more likely to hang out in wooded areas.
When will cicadas emerge in Chicago?
For the past 17 years, billions of cicadas from Brood XIII have been living underground, tapping into fluid from plant roots, said Allan Lawrance, associate curator of entomology at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago. Once they emerge, typically in mid-May, they'll be around for between four and six weeks, Lawrance added.
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And once they burrow up, there's "really no escaping them," Lawrance said, especially on and around trees, where "piles" of cicada shells can are expected after the insects have feasted on fluid from branches and woody shrubs.
"You're just going to see them sort of flying around, hanging out on trees, and you're going to hear them wherever you go," Lawrance said.
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According to experts with the Insect Asylum, peak emergence is expected to arrive in mid-May for the Chicago area. Sightings have already been reported across the area, but there are many factors that will determine when cicadas will begin coming out of the ground en masse.
"The periodical cicadas have been emerging for the last week and a half," Stephanie Adams, plant pathologist at Morton Arboretum in Lisle, said last month of Brood XIII, which will soon overspread across the entire Chicago area. "We found them both out here in our landscape and also in our East woods."
Cicadas typically emerge as the ground begins to warm in the spring and early summer, meaning mid-to-late May and into June.
According to Adams, the emergence of the first cicadas comes about two weeks ahead of the historic average. It will continue to be sporadic, however, as soil temperature, mulch and turf grass all impact cicadas differently. For example, the soil is warmer near pavement, so cicadas in the those spots are expected to emerge quicker.
The ideal soil temperature for cicadas is 64 degrees, but a rise in humidity levels can also play a role, the Insect Asylum reported.
Which areas will see the most?
According to experts, the distribution will be patchy.
Not every neighborhood is going to be as dense with them as others," Lawrance said. "One area may be slightly more quiet, and you'll hear them in the distance. And then you go to the next neighborhood, and it's hoppin', and they're everywhere."
There is one determining factor, however: If they were there before, they'll be there again.
"So, which neighborhoods you would expect to find them in will depend on where they were last time they emerged," Lawrance said. "If the soil had been completely dug up and replaced due to construction, there may be fewer cicadas there. But if they were there last time, chances are, they'll still be there."
The same goes for the next 17 years.
After they emerge this spring and summer, female periodical cicadas will lay their eggs on the tips of tree branches. Eventually, those eggs will hatch and drop down into the soil, Lawrance said. The nymphs then burrow underground, and their 17-year cycle of life begins again.
Which trees does cicadas gravitate towards?
In general cicadas are "not particular" -- meaning they will use a variety of trees and shrubs as hosts -- they have been known to lay eggs in preferred plants.
"While most cicadas are considered generalists, with a broad range of host plants, they have preferences like all living creatures," a post from the Morton Arboretum said.
According to the Arboretum, cicadas "tend to not prefer" plants where sap or gum could prevent an egg hatch. Some of those trees includes conifer trees like pine, spruce and fir. Those trees may also include cherry trees, peach trees, plum trees or persimmon trees, the Arboretum said.
MORE: The 1 thing you can do to potentially limit the number of cicadas in your yard, according to experts
While they aren't picky, the insects have been known to lay eggs in certain trees, the Arboretum said, including oak, maple, hickory, apple, birch, dogwood, linden, willow, elm, ginkgo, and pear trees.
"Cicadas also may lay eggs in some shrubs, such as rose, lilac, and forsythia," the Arboretum said.
Arboretum records show that during the emergence 17 years ago, some of the plants most affected by the emergence were maples, cherries, ashes, hawthorns, willows, mountain ashes, oaks, pears, roses, privets, poplars, serviceberries, and beeches.
Cicada Map
The Northern Illinois Brood, or Brood XIII, will be most seen in parts of northern Illinois and Indiana, and possibly even in Wisconsin, Iowa and parts of Ohio. This brood will be the most prominent in the Chicago area for the upcoming emergence.
Cicadas have a lifespan of approximately four weeks, meaning the emergence is set to last through at least mid-June.
Meanwhile, Brood XIX, or the Great Southern Brood cicadas, have a more widespread population, covering parts of Missouri, Illinois, Louisiana, North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland.
