Brood XIV (also known as Brood 14) is one of 15 separate broods of periodical cicadas that appear regularly throughout the midwestern United States. Every 17 years, Brood XIV tunnels en masse to the surface of the ground, lays eggs, and then die off in several weeks.
Although entomologist C. L. Marlatt published an account in 1907 in which he argued for the existence of 30 broods, over the years a number have been consolidated and only 15 are recognized today as being distinct. [1] Brood XIV is among the 12 different broods with 17-year cycles.
Its last appearance was in the spring and early summer of 2008, and will emerge again in 2025 and 2042.[2][3]
The 1½ inch long black insects do not sting or bite. Once they emerge, they spend their short two-week lives climbing trees, shedding their crunchy skins and reproducing. They can number up to several hundred thousand per acre.
In Massachusetts, the brood severely damaged trees in Mashpee and Falmouth. The damage was highly localized, due to the lack of built-up areas in those towns; trees as close as five miles away were not damaged.
In North Carolina, especially around Asheville, the hatching caused major damage to many residential trees and small-scale non-industrial orchards. Major orchards in the region remained unharmed.
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