How Often Do Locusts Come Out?

By Staff WriterLast Updated March 27, 2020

Periodical cicadas emerge from underground every 13 or 17 years, depending upon which brood the cicadas belong to. The year a particular brood emerges often differs from other broods and is also dependent on geography. The periodical cicada, although unrelated, is often mistakenly called a locust.

Periodical cicadas reach approximately 1.5 inches in adulthood and are notable for their red-orange eyes. As nymphs, cicadas spend many years living in soil between 2 and 24 inches in depth. Once the cicadas reach the surface, they must find a tree or other vertical surface on which to moult and complete their metamorphosis. After shedding their skins, cicadas are adults and fully capable of flight.