Cicadas seem to appear out of nowhere, fill the trees with noise, and then vanish almost as suddenly as they arrived. Their loud adult stage is short, but that is only the last chapter of a surprisingly long life.
Depending on the species, a cicada can spend anywhere from two years to 17 years living underground before it ever climbs a tree, sheds its skin, or makes a sound. The adult cicadas you see in summer usually live only a few weeks. When one finally appears above ground, its cicada appearance and features can help distinguish it from other summer insects.
How Long Do Cicadas Live?
A cicada’s total life span depends on its species.
Annual cicadas often spend two to five years underground as nymphs before becoming adults. Periodical cicadas spend either 13 or 17 years underground before emerging together in a major brood.
Once they become adults, most cicadas live only about two to six weeks above ground. During that short time, they mate, lay eggs, and complete their life cycle.
The loud, winged cicada is the part of their life people notice, but it is actually the shortest stage.
How Long Do Adult Cicadas Live?
Most adult cicadas survive for a few weeks after emerging. Their exact life span depends on weather, predators, disease, and whether they can avoid being eaten long enough to mate.
Adults spend their days in trees feeding from small twigs, calling for mates, mating, and laying eggs. Males make the familiar loud summer sound, while females listen for calls and later place eggs into small woody twigs.
After mating season ends, adult cicadas die naturally. Their bodies fall to the ground, where they become food for scavengers and return nutrients to the soil.
Why Do Cicadas Spend So Long Underground?
Cicada nymphs live underground near tree roots, where they feed on plant fluids and grow slowly. They molt several times while they develop.
Living underground protects them from many weather extremes and predators. It also gives them steady access to tree roots, which are their food source during the young stage.
A cicada nymph is not sleeping underground for years. It is alive, feeding, growing, and gradually preparing for its final emergence.
How Long Do Annual Cicadas Live?
Annual cicadas appear every summer in many parts of the United States. The name can be confusing because an individual annual cicada may spend several years underground.
They are called annual cicadas because different groups emerge each year. While one group is calling in the trees this summer, younger groups are still developing underground and will emerge in later years.
Annual cicadas are often green, brown, or black and usually appear from summer into early fall.
How Long Do 17-Year Cicadas Live?
Seventeen-year cicadas spend 17 years underground as nymphs, then emerge together in very large numbers. They are a type of periodical cicada.
Once above ground, they only live for several weeks, just like other adult cicadas. The huge emergence is brief, but it is the result of nearly two decades of underground development.
Periodical cicadas are often recognized by their black bodies, red eyes, and orange wing veins.
How Long Do 13-Year Cicadas Live?
Thirteen-year cicadas are another type of periodical cicada. Their life cycle is similar to 17-year cicadas, but their nymph stage lasts 13 years instead.
They are more common in parts of the southern United States, while many 17-year broods occur farther north and through parts of the Midwest.
Both types emerge in groups, mate, lay eggs, and disappear within a few weeks.
Why Do Cicadas Suddenly Appear?
Cicadas emerge when their development is complete and conditions are right. Soil temperature is one of the biggest triggers.
On warm spring or early-summer nights, mature nymphs tunnel out of the ground and crawl toward the nearest tree, fence post, wall, or other upright surface. They grip the surface, split their skin open, and emerge as pale soft-bodied adults.
A large group can emerge over just a few nights, which is why a quiet yard can suddenly be covered with cicadas and shells.
What Happens After a Cicada Emerges?
A newly emerged adult is soft and pale. Its wings start small and wrinkled, then slowly expand as the cicada pumps fluid into them.
Over several hours, the body darkens and hardens. Once its wings are firm, the adult flies into the trees.
The empty nymph skin stays behind on the bark. Those brown shells are harmless and can remain attached for weeks after the adult leaves. Here is a closer explanation of why cicada shells are left on trees.
Why Do Cicadas Die So Quickly Above Ground?
The adult stage is built for reproduction, not long-term survival. Once cicadas reach adulthood, their only job is to find a mate, lay eggs, and start the next generation.
They face birds, spiders, mammals, weather, vehicles, and other dangers above ground. Even cicadas that avoid predators do not live long after the mating season.
Their short adult life may seem wasteful, but their huge numbers help ensure enough survive to reproduce.
Where Do Cicadas Go When They Disappear?
They do not migrate somewhere else. Most adult cicadas simply die after their breeding season ends.
Their eggs remain in the small twigs where females laid them. After several weeks, tiny nymphs hatch, drop to the ground, burrow into the soil, and begin the next underground stage.
That is why cicadas can seem completely gone after a loud season. The adults are gone, but the next generation is already below ground.
Do Cicadas Come Back Every Year?
Annual cicadas come back every year because different groups are emerging on staggered schedules.
Periodical cicadas do not come back every year in the same area. A particular brood appears only every 13 or 17 years. Other cicada species may still be heard during the summers between major periodical emergences.
The sound, size, color, and timing can vary depending on which cicadas live in your area.
How Long Will Cicadas Be Loud?
A particular group of adult cicadas is usually loud for a few weeks. The peak chorus often lasts two to four weeks, then fades as adults die.
Annual cicada sounds may continue through much of the warm season because different species emerge at different times. Periodical cicada noise is often much more intense, but it ends faster once the brood completes its short adult stage.
If you are hearing the trees roar right now, this guide to why cicadas make so much noise explains what that chorus is really about.
Do Cicadas Live Longer Than Other Bugs?
Many cicadas do. Their long underground nymph stage gives them a longer total life span than most insects people notice around the house or yard.
A mosquito may live for days or weeks. A housefly may live for a few weeks. A cicada can spend years underground before its short adult stage even begins.
That long life cycle is one reason cicadas are such unusual insects.
Can Cicadas Live Indoors?
No. Cicadas cannot complete their life cycle indoors.
They need living tree roots during their nymph stage and outdoor trees for their adult stage. A cicada that accidentally gets inside may survive briefly, but it cannot establish itself in a home or reproduce there.
If one flies in through an open door, catch it gently with a cup and release it outside. A safe catch-and-release bug catcher can make that outdoor release easier without handling the cicada directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do cicadas live above ground?
Most adult cicadas live about two to six weeks after emerging from the ground.
Do cicadas live for 17 years?
Some periodical cicadas spend 17 years underground as nymphs. They only spend a few weeks as winged adults.
Do cicadas sleep underground for 17 years?
No. They are active underground, feeding from tree roots and growing slowly throughout that stage.
Why do cicadas only come out every 17 years?
A particular periodical cicada brood has a genetically timed life cycle that keeps its nymphs underground for 17 years before they emerge together.
What happens to cicadas after they die?
Their bodies fall to the ground and are eaten by wildlife or break down naturally. Their eggs and young nymphs continue the next generation.
Do cicadas return to the same tree?
Cicada nymphs may emerge near the trees whose roots they fed from underground. Adult cicadas can fly to other nearby trees to call, mate, and lay eggs.
Caleb Warren is a longtime gardener and backyard insect researcher who writes practical pest guides for WhyDoIHaveBugs.com, helping homeowners identify insects accurately before choosing a treatment.
