Hundreds of billions of screaming insects are emerging from the ground throughout the US in a jarring sight that hasn’t taken place in 17 years.

The long-awaited cicada invasion is here, and the bugs have already been spotted hatching in at least three states: Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.

Scientists are also expecting billions more to emerge at any moment in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia.

This startling awakening of cicadas is referred to as Brood XIV. The insects last appeared in 2008, and now the next window in their synchronized life cycle has come again.

The cicadas are hatching as the soil in these states reaches a temperature of about 64° Fahrenheit. The swarm will reach its peak in early June.

Heavily infested areas with plenty of tree-covered land will likely see more than a million bugs per acre.

While entomologists (scientists studying insects) say these creatures are harmless, their sheer numbers often frighten people who see these massive broods and hear their loud, shrieking mating calls.

For those who can’t stand the sight of them, there’s an app for that, and scientists are now giving everyone the ability to track (and avoid) Brood XIV’s emergence. 

Brood XIV, which emerge every 17 years, have a distinct look compared to annual cicadas, having black and orange coloring and red eyes.

They’re about one inch in length after hatching from their eggs and have a wingspan of roughly three inches when fully grown. 

The cicadas Americans see on a yearly basis throughout the country are typically green, brown, or gray with darker markings.

Brood XIV is one of a dozen cicada broods which sprout from the ground throughout the US every 17 years.

Each group is on its own schedule, with one brood emerging last year and another expected to hatch in 2029.

Brood XIV is one of the most widespread hatchings throughout the US, covering 13 states with billions of insects.

Only Brood X, which hatched in 2024, spreads across more states every 17 years, covering 16 states.

Dr Gene Kritsky, a noted entomologist at Mount St Joseph University in Ohio, helped to develop the Cicada Safari app to track emergences. It’s available on both iPhones and Android devices.

‘Periodical cicadas are more than just a natural marvel,’ Kritsky said in a statement in February. ‘They are bugs of history and their emergences inform us about land use and climate.’

To his point, these periodic cicada swarms have been written about for centuries, but not always positively.

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