CINCINNATI (WXIX) – Brood XIV cicadas are emerging from their 17-year rest. While they are only seen in certain parts of the globe, they are an important piece to their local ecosystem.

Dr. Gene Kritsky is a biology professor at Mount St. Joseph University. His research interests include periodical cicadas.

Dr. Kritsky says cicadas are at the bottom of the food chain. Beetles, ants, and spiders all feast on the nymph cicadas.

“For the birds, the squirrels, chipmunks, and raccoons – they’ll have a greater opportunity for more of their offspring to survive this year,” Dr. Kritsky said.

Cicadas evolved to reproduce by the thousands, so that more of them survive to become adults. They also developed tactics to defend themselves as soon as they hatch.

“I actually collected egg nests, hatched the eggs, and then released the insects to see how fast they can get under the ground,” Dr. Kritsky said. “Within 30 seconds, almost all are gone.”

The cicadas’ burrows control runwater and flooding all while watering nearby plants.

“When it gets really hot and we get our thunderstorms in the summer, instead of all that rainwater running off the surface, a lot of it goes down the holes to water the trees,” Dr. Kritsky said. “That’s beneficial for the tree.”

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