A big batch of cicadas is expected to emerge from the ground and begin making a racket in central and eastern Kentucky this spring. Ric Bessin is an extension entomologist at the University of Kentucky who began working there in 1991 – when the grandparents of this generation came out.
“There's some things that come into play, such as soil moisture, soil temperatures. So we're always at the mercy of the weather, but we're looking at about the beginning of May, give or take a week, is when they should show up.”
Bessin said the bug-eyed insects will stay active through May and will be followed by annual cicadas that will show up in late June and early July.
Seventeen years ago, Brood 14 hatched in trees, fell to the ground, tunneled into the soil and began feeding on tree root sap. Bessin is an admitted cicada enthusiast, but acknowledges not everyone likes the noise they make while courting.
“At first, it's one of those cool things to listen to – that droning whine. But after about a week, that tolerance of that whine begins to decline.”
Bessin said in all his years of work, he’s seen one blue-eyed cicada.
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