Brood XIVs 17-Year Comeback Tour
loving our bugged out band members? we have underground shirts and gifts ready to rock the brood.
Cue the confetti (or maybe just the flying confetti with wings): the cicadas are coming!
Yes, folks, Brood XIVâthe A-list celebrities of the insect worldâare emerging from their 17-year underground nap for the loudest, most synchronized backyard rave this side of the Mississippi.
And before you reach for the bug spray, sit back, sip your iced tea, and letâs talk about why these quirky little noisemakers are actually the life of the party.
First Things First: What the Heck is Brood XIV?
Think of Brood XIV as the cicada equivalent of a stadium tourâmassive, once-in-a-generation, and happening across fourteen states. From Georgia to Massachusetts, theyâre hitting all the forested hot spots from mid-May to mid-June 2025, showing up in swarms, singing their hearts out (only the males, naturally), getting lucky, laying eggs, and thenâpoof!âvanishing underground until 2042.
Itâs natureâs version of âlove âem and leave âem,â with a touch of science fiction and a whole lot of winged romance.
Cicadas: The Chicken Nuggets of the Insect World
Before you freak out and start plotting a bug-free bunker, letâs get one thing straight: cicadas are not dangerous. They donât bite, donât sting, and they absolutely do not want to infest your pantry or ruin your crops.
What they do want is to get it on, lay eggs in tree branches, and go out with a bang (and a buzz). Ohâand theyâre also a superfood buffet for local wildlife. Birds, frogs, raccoons, foxes⊠and yes, your chickens will be delighted. At Drunken Duck Farm, we call this the âCicada Snack Packâ season. Free-range protein with wings? Donât mind if we do!
đ Pro tip: Let your flock forage during emergence. Itâs like a protein-rich, bug-based Easter egg hunt.
Save the Saplings, Not the Sprays
Now, before you send hate mail to Mother Nature for this âapocalypticâ bug boom, hereâs what you shouldnât do:
đ« No pesticides.
đ« No sprays.
đ« No scorched-earth tactics.
Why? Because they donât work. Spraying wonât stop egg-laying cicadas from arrivingâthese little jetpackers can fly right into a tree regardless of chemical coatings. And worse? Those pesticides also hurt pollinators like bees and butterflies, birds that snack on bugs, and beneficial soil life. It’s like trying to swat a fly with a wrecking ball.
Instead, if youâve planted young trees recently (especially fruit trees or tender ornamentals), do them a favor and wrap their upper branches loosely with cheesecloth or insect netting. Think of it as a tree bonnetâadorable and practical.
Wrap from now through late June, and youâll avoid the âegg slitâ drama that can harm new growth.
6 Reasons to Give Cicadas a Standing Ovation
- Soil Aerators Extraordinaire: Their emergence tunnels naturally till your garden beds.
- Fertilizer Fairies: When they die (and they will, all at once), their bodies provide a nitrogen-rich bounty to the soil.
- Pruning Pros: Tree branch damage? Itâs minor and mimics pruning, encouraging better blooms and fruits next year.
- Food Chain Frenzy: Birds, bats, possums, foxes, even turtlesâeveryone feasts and thrives.
- Zero Disease Risk: They donât carry pathogens and wonât infest your home.
- Natureâs Oddball Marvels: Who else waits 17 years for a single summer fling? Thatâs commitment.
Get In on the Action!
Want to play citizen scientist? Download Cicada Safari or iNaturalist and share your sightings. Youâll be helping entomologists map this majestic phenomenonâplus, it gives you an excuse to post way too many cicada selfies.
đš Celebrate the Cicada in Art!
Sure, cicadas are backyard buffets for our feathery friendsâbut their final act? Absolutely frame-worthy. Once their buzzing days are behind them, these fascinating little flyers become muses for some truly stunning artwork.
Weâve got a soft spot for artists who turn these little love bugs into lasting keepsakes. Some even incorporate real cicada pieces (ethically gathered, of course).
đïž Our Favorite Cicada-Inspired Artists:
(Give them a followâbefore they fly off your feed! Don’t see the Cicada art? Send them a message to see what they have behind the screen)
- Scavenging Hand â A celebration of life through the appreciation of death. Art and Oddities. Find on Facebook, Instagram, or at the Miamisburg Full Moon Markets
- Folk of the Forest â Art & Pet Portraits, Forest Goblin, and Nature Lover
đș Want a less…organic souvenir? Grab one of our Cicada Band designs on a tee from the shop and show off your love for the loudest band of 2025.
đ And just to clarify: no, weâre not adding cicadas to our spice blends. We like a little crunch in our teaâbut not that much.
After all, what better way to remember 2025âs grand underground uprising than with a wearable or hangable homage?
TL;DR: Donât Be Scared, Be Buzzed
This May and June, welcome Brood XIV with open ears and maybe some earplugs. Let your chickens feast, wrap your saplings in cheesecloth couture, and marvel at one of natureâs weirdest and most wonderful symphonies.
Because these aren’t pests. They’re performers. And this is their 17-year encore.
đȘ° Got questions? Snap a pic and tag us @DrunkenDuckFarmâweâd love to see your cicada sightings, chicken feasts, or cheesecloth-wrapped tree fashion.
