The cicadas are back - well, some of them.
Brood XIV has begun to emerge in some eastern U.S. states. The brood emerges every 17 years, and is considered the second largest periodical cicada brood, according to the University of Connecticut.
Researchers use past emergences to predict where and when periodical cicadas will appear again, said Gene Kritsky, a professor at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati and founder of the Cicada Safari app, which is used to track the emergence of cicadas. The group gathers data on the insects and creates a map of where they've been spotted.
In this brood's case, the group last emerged in 2008. This year, they are slated to appear in states such as North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Here's what you need to know about Brood XIV and where they've been spotted so far.
So far, most of the cicadas added to this year's Cicada Safari map are in western North Carolina and parts of Tennessee.
As of May 2, cicadas have been photographed in the following areas:
Sporadic sightings were also reported in Georgia and southwestern Ohio.
To keep track of cicada sightings, download the Cicada Safari mobile app, visit www.cicadamap.msj.edu or www.cicadas.uconn.edu/broods/brood_14.
Known for the buzzing sound they make, cicadas are part of the same order as insects such as stink bugs, bed bugs, aphids and cicada families.
Brood XIV only occurs in the eastern half of the U.S., Kritsky said.
Both Kritsky and researchers at the University of Connecticut run mapping programs for cicadas, and because there are so many broods of cicadas, knowing which group they belong to can be difficult, experts say.
Brood XIV occurs eight years after Brood VI, four years after Brood X, four years before Brood I, and so on. Because of the timing of it all, there may be "stragglers," or cicadas from other groups, the University of Connecticut said.
"From a practical perspective, stragglers from any of these broods complicate mapping efforts, because populations may be difficult to assign to a brood," wrote the researchers. "There will be substantial numbers of stragglers in 2025, and if they are mistaken for Brood XIV emergences, these mistaken records will create the impression that Brood XIV has grown suddenly and substantially larger, when no such thing is true."
Researchers said this year, Brood XIV emergences will be dense and widespread, while stragglers will be "more patchy and scattered."
Based on past behaviors, the group is likely making its appearance in Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, and in nine southern counties in Indiana, said Gene Kritsky, founder of Cicada Safari, a group that gathers data on the insects.
This map shows roughly where Brood XIV is expected to make an appearance this spring, however, experts say it can be tricky to know exactly which counties will have confirmed sightings.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia - the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.