Quad Cities Won’t See Or Hear 17-year Cicadas

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) - There’s been a lot of buzz this year about the appearance of the 17-year cicadas, but in our area, it’s much ado about nothing. According to experts at Iowa State University, the noisy bugs will not be in either Iowa or Illinois. Donald Lewis, professor and extension entomologist at Iowa State says you’ll have to go on a road trip if you want to see any of these cicadas.

While this fascinating, long-lived insect will indeed emerge this year, it will do so only in select parts of the Midwest and the east coast. Lewis says the closest place to the Quad Cities will be northern Indiana. “There has been and will be a tremendous amount of media attention to periodical cicadas this year because they are emerging in major media markets,” said Lewis. “The bad news is that the periodical cicadas will NOT emerge in Iowa this year.”

Iowans and Illinoisans will see a limited emergence in 2024, but the next widespread emergence in our area will not be until 2031. In addition to Indiana, the 17-year cicada will emerge in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and some coastal states.

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