The buzz: First time in 200 years two separate groups of cicadas will emerge at the same time

For the first time in centuries, trillions of both the 13-year Great Southern Brood and the 17-year Northern Illinois brood will crawl out of the ground at the same time this spring.

For the first time in centuries, trillions of both the 13-year Great Southern Brood and the 17-year Northern Illinois brood will crawl out of the ground at the same time this spring.

RESIGNED HIS POSITION./// NEW ON WJCL - FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 200 YEARS .. TWO SEPARATE GROUPS OF BUGS .. WILL EMERGE TOGETHER. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CICADA SEASON ... AND A VERY RARE ONE AT THAT. WE'RE JOINED NOW BY WJCL 22 NEWS' TIA MAGGIO. SHE'S AT FORSYTH PARK .. WHERE YOU CAN FIND PLENTY OF BUGS. TIA, WALK US THROUGH WHAT THIS RARE EVENT MEANS. TIA LL INTRO: PACK: "IT'S GOING TIA LL INTRO: PACK: "IT'S GOING TO BE A LOUD NOISE, BUT GET READY FOR IT." AND YOU BETTER BE READY FOR IT. BECAUSE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN CENTURIES BOTH THE 13 YEAR GREAT SOUTHERN BROOD AND THE 17 YEAR NORTHERN ILLINOIS BROOD WILL EMERGE AT THE SAME TIME. "USUALLY THEY DON'T EMERGE AT THE SAME TIME. IT'S A PRIME NUMBER, YOU KNOW, ODD NUMBER. SO REALLY THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED I THINK WAS OVER 200 YEARS AGO." (STEVE SPENCER / PHOTOGRAPHER) "IT'S PRETTY AMAZING." BUT LUIZ SANTOS ISN'T HAVING IT. "CICADAS TAKE OVER EVERYTHING. THEY ARE LARGE, LOUD. I LOVE THEM, BUT DANGEROUS ISH." BUT GEORGIA SOUTHERN PROFESSOR AND INSECT EXPERIMENT JENNIFER ZETTLER SAYS CICADAS CAN ACTUALLY BE HELPFUL. "YOU'LL HAVE THINGS LIKE BIRDS, LIZARDS, YOU'LL HAVE ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF ANIMALS AND INCLUDING IN THE PAST, HUMANS HAVE EATEN THEM. SO YOU'LL HEAR STORIES ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THEM BEING ON ON THE MENU." BUT THE NOISE ISN'T THE ONLY NUISANCE ABOUT THE CICADAS....ITS ALSO WHAT THEY LEAVE BEHIND TOO. "THEY'LL SPLIT DOWN THE BACK AND THEN ESSENTIALLY PULL THEMSELVES OUT OF THEIR OWN SKIN. SO AT THAT STAGE, WHAT WILL COME OUT OF THAT EXOSKELETON AND THESE GET LEFT BEHIND." AND WHILE STEVE SPENCER SAYS HE'LL JUST DEAL WITH IT... (STEVE SPENCER / PHOTOGRAPHER) GO ABOUT MY DAY. I'M NOT GOING TO TRY TO HURT ANY. THEY'RE JUST GOING TO DO THEIR THING." SANTOS HAS ANOTHER PLAN. (LUIZ SANTOS / LOCAL) "I'M GOING TO STAY INSIDE ALL DAY, ALL DAY." TIA LL OUTTRO: TIA, THANK YOU. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS UPCOMING CICADA SEASON .. VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WJCL DOT COM.///

The buzz: First time in 200 years two separate groups of cicadas will emerge at the same time

For the first time in centuries, trillions of both the 13-year Great Southern Brood and the 17-year Northern Illinois brood will crawl out of the ground at the same time this spring.

If you aren't a fan of cicadas, there's some bad news for you.For the first time in centuries, both the 13-year Great Southern Brood and the 17-year Northern Illinois brood will crawl out of the ground at the same time.Georgia Southern professor and entomologist Jennifer Zettler said the rare emergence will bring out trillions of cicadas once the ground warms up the cicadas will emerge, which will start in the spring. "Sixty-four degrees Fahrenheit. Once the ground temperature reaches that, and there's a heavy rain that's going to trigger the cicadas under the ground to say, 'Hey, it's time to come out,'" Zettler said. And some people in Savannah aren't having it."Cicadas take over everything. They are large, loud," Savannah local Luiz Santos said. But thankfully, Zettler said there's few states where you will witness both broods, like Springfield, Illinois. "The 13-year cicada are the ones that are going to be found in areas that had never been covered by glaciers during the last ice age. So really, it's going to be in the southern part of the United States," Zettler said, "The 17-year cicada are really going to be located more north, especially of like the Appalachians or in that area."Zettler even said the cicadas can actually be helpful for wildlife."You'll have things like birds, lizards, you'll have all different types of animals and including in the past, humans have eaten them," Zettler said. Zettler said the cicadas will stick around above ground for a few weeks until they crawl back below.

SAVANNAH, Ga. —

If you aren't a fan of cicadas, there's some bad news for you.

For the first time in centuries, both the 13-year Great Southern Brood and the 17-year Northern Illinois brood will crawl out of the ground at the same time.

Georgia Southern professor and entomologist Jennifer Zettler said the rare emergence will bring out trillions of cicadas once the ground warms up the cicadas will emerge, which will start in the spring.

"Sixty-four degrees Fahrenheit. Once the ground temperature reaches that, and there's a heavy rain that's going to trigger the cicadas under the ground to say, 'Hey, it's time to come out,'" Zettler said.

And some people in Savannah aren't having it.

"Cicadas take over everything. They are large, loud," Savannah local Luiz Santos said.

But thankfully, Zettler said there's few states where you will witness both broods, like Springfield, Illinois.

"The 13-year cicada are the ones that are going to be found in areas that had never been covered by glaciers during the last ice age. So really, it's going to be in the southern part of the United States," Zettler said, "The 17-year cicada are really going to be located more north, especially of like the Appalachians or in that area."

Zettler even said the cicadas can actually be helpful for wildlife.

"You'll have things like birds, lizards, you'll have all different types of animals and including in the past, humans have eaten them," Zettler said.

Zettler said the cicadas will stick around above ground for a few weeks until they crawl back below.

The buzz: First time in 200 years two separate groups of cicadas will emerge at the same time

For the first time in centuries, trillions of both the 13-year Great Southern Brood and the 17-year Northern Illinois brood will crawl out of the ground at the same time this spring.

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