‘Cicadageddon’ is almost upon us: What to know as they emerge

Cicadas are starting to emerge in McHenry County, but experts don’t anticipate an apocalypse.

Some Crystal Lake Park District staff members have seen nymphs, John Fiorina, the interpretive services director for the park district, said.

The insects already have emerged in places farther downstate, and the cicada photos sweeping the internet have made a splash. Fiorina said the McHenry County experience will be “nothing like” that of areas of central Illinois, where two broods of cicadas are emerging. “Cicadageddon is a little south of us,” he said.

Fiorina and Brenda Dahlfors, master naturalist program coordinator for the University of Illinois Extension’s McHenry office, both said Friday they’ve seen holes in their yards, a sign the cicadas are about to emerge. “They’re pretty much ready to go,” Dahlfors said.

The last time cicadas emerged in McHenry County was 2007. Fiorina said “most people are going to be surprised” about when the cicadas emerge.

Some cicadas emerge annually, according to the McHenry County Conservation District website. Those cicadas are dark green to black with green veins and are larger than the periodical cicadas. Periodical cicadas are black with red eyes and legs, according to the conservation district.

Dahlfors said that depending on the weather, she anticipates the cicadas will start emerging within the next week or so.

For people, however, there’s not much to worry about when it comes to the cicadas.

“I don’t think anyone” will need to change their plans because of the cicadas, Fiorina said.

As for animals, “your outdoor pets are going to eat them,” and that’s fine, Dahlfors said. She said eating a few will be OK, but if pets get sick it’s because they ate too many. She added if you have a dog who eats everything, it’s a good idea to leash them outside.

Dahlfors said people with young trees might want to get the trunks netted to protect them from cicadas. Theoretically, however, people can wait until they hear the mating calls. She said trees with a decent-sized trunk “will get a side pruning” from the cicadas.

Countywide, she said she expects cicadas to emerge at the same time.

The McHenry County Conservation District has a map online for people to submit their cicada sightings at survey123.arcgis.com/share/6a9a2b5259b34327a812d249f10ec651.

The conservation district plans to celebrate the emergence of the bugs with some events, according to its website. The Conservation District is planning a cicada celebration from noon to 4 p.m. June 2 at Fox Bluff Conservation Area in Cary. The event is free for the public to attend.

The conservation district also plans to have a Cicada Sounds event from 10 to 11 a.m. June 6 at Boone Creek Conservation Area in Bull Valley, geared toward children between the ages of 2 and 7.

Fiorina said to keep an eye out for the cicadas. “Keep looking. It’s a neat thing, it really is.”