11 June 2026
Seven years ago Magicicada Brood VIII emerged in western Allegheny County. I caught up with them in Moon Twp, PA on 9 June 2019.
Protected from the chaos of the topside world, larvae that burrowed underground in 2002 had lived safely underground for 17 years. But in Moon Twp far fewer emerged than expected.
Find out what I discovered in this vintage article.
Topside land use changed while the magicicadas lived underground. They were trapped by “progress.”
p.s. Here are the active periodical cicada broods in the U.S. What will Brood VIII find when they emerge in 2036?
I’ve often thought about that. I see paving for parking lots in new developments and thought about if they are trapped underground. So this post was appreciated.
Trapped or… To make a flat parking lot, bulldozers dig and scrape the upper layer. I’m sure that kills a lot of larvae too.