As Illinois awaits a massive, rare double-brood emergence of cicadas, entomological research shows that the insects may come earlier.

This year, two ‘periodical’ cicada species—Brood XIII and Brood XIX— will emerge simultaneously. Maps of Illinois show where each brood is expected to flourish. 

According to Jennifer Rydzewski of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, brood XIII occurs in the Chicago area only every 17 years, while Brood XIX occurs every 13 years.

“So the 13-year and 17-year life cycles only align every 221 years,” Rydzewski told CBS Chicago in an e-mail.

“Periodical cicadas have typically emerged in late May or early June in northern Illinois,” said Dr. Ken Johnson of the University of Illinois. However, because of the urban heat island, that might happen earlier in Chicago. 

How will cicada behavior change? 

But as Chicago bakes in its third-warmest year on record, is a species directly cued by soil temperatures warming to 64 degrees being affected by the warming climate? Some cicadas were reported last week in the northwest suburbs. 

According to the University of Connecticut’s Climate Change and Periodical Cicadas, “All available evidence indicates that the climate is warming and precipitation patterns are changing, and because some parts of the periodical cicada life cycle seem sensitive to these factors, it follows that these insects will be affected by climate change.”

That study predicts that warming climates will cause periodical cicada emergences to start earlier in the year since spring will arrive earlier as the climate warms. Climate-related disruption of the cues periodical cicadas use to pick their year of emergence will lead to an increase in unexpected, oddly-timed emergences or even the breakdown of these insects’ periodicity. 

The study mentions notable off-cycle emergences have already occurred, such as the unexpected emergence of Brood X cicadas in 2017.

“It’s possible we are a few days ahead of schedule this year due to the warming climate, but we definitely need more data and analysis,” Dr. Catherine Dana of the Illinois Natural History Survey said.

Periodical cicadas’ long life cycles and rare emergences make gathering that data a lengthy process – but the periodical cicada mapping project is trying to accomplish that goal.

However, as the Connecticut study states, “It will take a while to collect the data, and the project involves multiple generations… of cicadas and researchers alike.”

How long will cicadas be around in Illinois?

Periodical cicadas spend most of their time living underground, feeding on tree roots. Once the soil warms enough, they begin to emerge above ground.

According to the University of Illinois, adult cicadas spend most of their time above ground reproducing. Male cicadas start singing four or five days after they emerge.

After mating, the female cicadas will lay their eggs, about 500 to 600 each.

The adult cicadas will begin to die after about a month. That should happen before outdoor Ravinia Festival concerts kick into high gear. 

When will periodical cicadas emerge again in Illinois after 2024?

About six to ten weeks after they are laid, the eggs begin to hatch. The tiny cicada nymphs drop to the ground and begin feeding, often on grass roots.

Eventually, they dig into the soil about 8 to 12 inches deep and feed on tree roots for 13 to 17 years.

Usually, paying the rent comes out of pocket – but Illinois is helping out with rent and utilities, plus other benefits for moving into two of its western Illinois cities.

Pittsfield and Jacksonville are offering a remote-work incentive close to $10,000 for people to move to their smaller-scaled cities, while keeping jobs to work remotely anywhere in the United States. 

Remote positions can vary from call center operators to customer service representatives, which means even if out of state residents are hired for a job out of state like a data analyst in New York, individuals can still reap the benefits of living in small town America. 

Who is offering the pay to live packages?

Make My Move, an online marketplace for moving with benefits based in Indiana, has been working to connect Illinois cities offering relocation bonuses to remote workers looking to lower their cost of living. 

Jacksonville

The incentive package to move to Jacksonville is roughly $9,300. The requirements for the move is earning at least $50,000 a year or more and living 70 miles currently outside of the Jacksonville Region, before applying. Approved applicants must move to Scott or Morgan County within half a year and spend a year in Jacksonville to receive the benefits.  

Scott and Morgan County’s combined population in 2023 sits at 37,000 according to Census.gov, with the town of Jacksonville in Morgan County, around a 38-minute drive from Springfield.

Pittsfield

Pittsfield is offering $5,000 for relocation with three free months of bundled communication and entertainment, utilities and a one year membership to Access Illinois Outdoors recreational events. 

Pittsfield requires full-time remote workers with a salary of $65,000 or more currently living at least 100 miles outside of the city of Pittsfield. Falling in Pike County, Pittsfield had a population of 4,120 with a median household income of $47,950 in 2022, and is over an hour drive away, around 70 miles, from Springfield.

More: New data shows nearly every Illinois county saw a decrease in population from 2020-2023

Why are smaller towns offering moving incentives?

Illinois lost 83,839 residents who moved to other states in 2023, making the state one of the highest rates of population loss in the U.S. for the 10th consecutive year in a row. Out of 102 Illinois counties counted in the 2023 Census report, seven saw growth: Brown County, Bureau County, Grundy County, Jo Daviess County, Kendall County, McHenry County and Will County. 

The Governor’s Rural Affairs Council 2022 Report attributes the decrease in rural populations to the reduced demand for farmers because of the mechanization of labor, decrease in birthrates and exodus migration caused by lack of job opportunities.

Smaller towns needing more residents to keep the population stable are capitalizing on the new age of remote work post-pandemic, when working from home was normalized, to relocate boundless digital workers to rural towns with lower costs of living. 

Local governments can offer relocation packages to attract newer residents, like Jacksonville who’s offering $5,000 in cash for relocation, $300 in chamber checks from the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce and First National Bank of Arenzville and a myriad of utility benefits plus park passes and gift cards. 

Claire Grant writes about business, growth and development and other news topics for the State Journal-Register. She can be reached at CLGrant@gannett.com; and on X (Formerly known as Twitter): @Claire_Granted