Pets Hunters

May 22 sounds like the day for cicadas in Chicago area

Those planning weddings or family reunions this spring may want to watch out for May 22.

That's the date, a prominent cicada researcher is estimating, that the little red-eyed bugs will emerge in the Chicago area. Specifically, the evening of May 21 and early morning hours of May 22.

Some may emerge a few days earlier and some stragglers may crawl from the ground a bit later depending on sunshine and shade, but the May day is "the big day,'' said Gene Kritsky, an entomologist and author of several bug books, including Periodical Cicadas: The Plague and the Puzzle.


Cicadas spend about 17 years underground, feeding on tree roots. A few weeks before emerging, the nymphs construct exit tunnels to the surface. Some build chimney-like turrets over the holes and these small piles have already been observed in some areas around Chicago.