Springfield, IL  (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Experts estimate we could see trillions of cicadas emerge across the United States this spring and summer as broods of periodical cicadas and the annual dog-day cicadas emerge. With a potential for geographical overlapping of broods, Springfield could be a hotspot.

The Northern Illinois Brood will emerge after burrowing into the ground 17 years ago, and the Great Southern Brood will come out after 13 years of living off sap from tree roots underground.

Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator Ken Johnson was a guest on the WTAX Morning Newswatch and says the cicadas have started emerging in St. Louis and Carbondale. Now that the soil temperature is warm enough, he says, it is now just a matter of time before we will see them in Springfield.

Expect noise levels at or above 90 decibels similar to a lawnmower or motorcycle, according to Johnson. He says the cicadas may also damage young trees and shrubs when they lay their eggs.

On a positive note, Johnson says they will aerate the soil when they tunnel out from tree roots, and the cicadas will serve as a food source for birds and some mammals. Even humans can eat the cicadas, he says, provided they do not have a shellfish allergy.

Hear Ken Johnson’s interview with Joey McLaughlin on the WTAX Morning Newswatch