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Cicadas live for years as underground nymphs but only about three to four weeks as noisy, winged adults. The famous 13- or 17-year figure applies to periodical cicadas’ development before emergence, not to the time they spend flying, calling, and mating above ground. Other cicadas also develop for multiple years, yet their adults may appear every summer because different generations are not synchronized into one large brood.
That distinction resolves the usual confusion behind “How long do cicadas live?” The answer depends on which part of the life cycle you mean: eggs hatch after several weeks, nymphs develop beneath the soil for years, and adults complete the visible portion of their lives in roughly a month.
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For the North American periodical cicadas described by the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and Penn State Extension, development lasts 13 or 17 years underground. Once they emerge, the adults usually live for only three to four weeks. “Annual” cicadas are different: they can appear in a location every summer even though an individual may spend two to nine years developing, according to University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension.
| Life stage | Typical timing for periodical cicadas | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | Several weeks before hatching | Females place eggs in slits in tree twigs; the hatchlings drop to the ground. |
| Nymph | 13 or 17 years | Young cicadas burrow into soil and feed and develop around plant roots. |
| Adult | About 3–4 weeks | The winged cicada emerges, molts, reproduces, and dies. |
This is a lifespan in stages, not one single number that applies to every cicada species worldwide. The 13- and 17-year cycles are the hallmark of periodical cicadas; many other species have different schedules.
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What are the three stages of a cicada’s life?
Cicadas pass through egg, nymph, and adult stages. They do not have a separate, caterpillar-like larval stage: the immature cicada is called a nymph and already has the basic body plan of the adult, although it is wingless and adapted to life underground.
- Egg: A female periodical cicada cuts small slits in a tree branch and deposits eggs inside. The eggs remain in the twig for several weeks. The Smithsonian gives an estimate of six to seven weeks, while Wisconsin Extension reports a range of six to ten weeks; temperature, species, and local conditions can help explain why institutional estimates differ. Calling the interval “several weeks” is more accurate than treating one number as universal.
- Newly hatched nymph: The tiny nymph leaves the twig and falls to the soil. It then burrows downward, where its underground development begins. This transition is why seeing adults in a particular summer does not mean the next generation will be visible the following year.
- Underground nymph: The nymph spends most of its life below ground near plant roots. For periodical cicadas, this stage lasts 13 or 17 years. The nymph grows through successive molts while remaining out of sight.
- Adult: At the end of the nymphal schedule, the cicada emerges, sheds its final nymphal skin, and becomes a winged adult. The adult stage is the brief, conspicuous part of the life cycle and generally lasts three to four weeks.
Because the egg period is measured in weeks and the nymph period in years, almost all of a periodical cicada’s life is spent underground. The loud chorus people notice is therefore a short endpoint to a very long developmental phase.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsHow long do periodical cicadas stay underground?
Periodical cicadas remain underground for either 13 or 17 years, depending on the species and brood. Penn State Extension describes seven periodical species: three with 17-year cycles and four with 13-year cycles. These are development schedules, not claims that every cicada on Earth follows the same timetable.
The broad geographic pattern is that 17-year periodical cicadas are more common in northern parts of their range, while 13-year cicadas are generally more southern. The ranges overlap in the central United States, so latitude alone cannot identify a brood or predict an exact emergence year. A local population’s documented brood schedule is more informative than assuming that every southern cicada is 13-year or every northern cicada is 17-year.
During the underground phase, a nymph is not dormant for the entire period. It develops beneath the soil and remains associated with plant roots. The long interval keeps generations separated in time; when a brood reaches maturity, many individuals emerge together rather than appearing as a few adults every summer.
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How long do adult cicadas live above ground?
Adult periodical cicadas usually live above ground for approximately three to four weeks. The Smithsonian states that “The adult periodical cicadas only live three to four weeks,” and Penn State Extension gives the same range. This is the best-supported answer to the related question, “How long do cicadas live above ground?”
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The adult interval includes emergence, the final molt, calling and courtship, egg laying, and the end of the adult’s life. It is short compared with the nymphal period, which is why a 17-year cicada should not be described as an insect that spends 17 years flying around. Seventeen years is the approximate underground development cycle; the visible adult phase is measured in weeks.
Adult longevity is also why a cicada chorus can seem to vanish suddenly. Once the synchronized adults complete their brief reproductive period, the adults die, while their eggs begin the next generation’s cycle in tree branches.
Why do some cicadas appear every summer?
“Annual cicada” describes a pattern of appearance in a region, not necessarily a one-year individual life span. Illinois Extension describes dog-day cicadas as appearing every summer, commonly from July through September in Illinois, in contrast with periodical cicadas that emerge in synchronized 13- or 17-year broods.
Wisconsin Extension reports life cycles of two to nine years for annual cicadas. If several overlapping generations are at different points in those multi-year cycles, at least some adults can emerge each summer. The result is annual visibility without a one-year life cycle for each insect.
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This distinction is useful when interpreting local observations. Seeing cicadas every year does not prove that the same individuals live for only one year, and seeing a massive chorus after a long quiet interval does not mean the adults themselves are decades old. The schedule describes when a generation reaches adulthood, while the individual’s total development depends on its species and population.
What is the difference between annual and periodical cicadas?
The key differences are development timing and synchronization.
| Characteristic | Periodical cicadas | Annual cicadas |
|---|---|---|
| Underground development | 13 or 17 years for the North American periodical species covered by Smithsonian and Penn State sources | Often multi-year; Wisconsin Extension reports two to nine years |
| Emergence pattern | Large, synchronized broods after a set interval | Adults may be present in a region every summer |
| Adult period | About three to four weeks | The available data does not establish one universal adult duration for every annual species |
| Meaning of the common label | “Periodical” refers to synchronized, long-interval emergences | “Annual” refers to regular yearly appearance, not a one-year life cycle |
Both labels cover groups rather than a single species. A careful explanation therefore says “many annual cicadas have multi-year development” instead of assigning one lifespan to all of them.
Why do periodical cicadas emerge together?
Periodical cicadas are organized into broods that mature on a shared 13- or 17-year schedule. Synchronization means that a large number of adults become visible during the same short window, rather than one or two individuals emerging continuously throughout the year.
The brood system also explains why a quiet location can suddenly have an intense but temporary appearance. The adults are the endpoint of nymphs that entered the soil years earlier. Their eggs then return to tree twigs, and the hatchlings begin another long underground phase.
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Thirteen- and 17-year schedules are not interchangeable labels for every emergence. They identify the best-known periodical cycles in North America; annual cicadas and other cicada species use different developmental timings. The National Park Service’s Brood X FAQ is a useful example of how a named periodical brood is treated as a particular population rather than as a description of all cicadas.
How should you calculate a cicada’s total lifespan?
Start by stating which interval you mean. “Adult lifespan” means the weeks after emergence. “Nymphal development” means the years underground. “Life cycle” includes the egg stage, nymphal development, and adult stage together.
For a periodical cicada, a practical summary is: several weeks as an egg, about 13 or 17 years as a nymph, and about three to four weeks as an adult. It is reasonable to call the total roughly 13 or 17 years plus a few months of egg and adult time, but the sources do not support treating that as an exact stopwatch value for every individual.
For an annual cicada, use the species’ documented cycle instead. The Wisconsin Extension range of two to nine years shows why a single universal “annual cicada lifespan” would be misleading. If the species is unknown, say that many cicadas spend years underground and avoid assigning the 13- or 17-year periodical figure.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does a 17-year cicada’s timeline look like?
A simplified periodical timeline looks like this:
- Year 0: An adult lays eggs in slits in a twig.
- Several weeks later: The eggs hatch, and the young nymphs fall to the ground and burrow into the soil.
- Years 1–17: The nymphs develop underground. The precise schedule is characteristic of that brood and species.
- Emergence year: Mature nymphs leave the soil, molt into adults, and spend roughly three to four weeks above ground.
- After adult reproduction: Adults die, and the eggs they deposited begin the next generation.
A 13-year brood follows the same sequence with a shorter nymphal interval. This timeline is a way to separate stages, not a guarantee that every individual emerges on the same day or lives for exactly the same number of hours in each stage.
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What are the most common cicada lifespan misconceptions?
- “Cicadas live for 17 years as adults.” No. Seventeen years refers to underground development for a periodical cycle; adults usually last three to four weeks.
- “Every cicada lives 13 or 17 years.” No. Those figures describe North American periodical cicadas. Other cicadas have different schedules, including the two-to-nine-year range reported for annual cicadas by Wisconsin Extension.
- “Annual means one year from egg to adult.” Not necessarily. Annual means adults are seen every year in a region; individual life cycles can take several years.
- “The egg stage has one exact duration.” Published institutional estimates differ. Smithsonian gives six to seven weeks, while Wisconsin Extension gives six to ten weeks, so “several weeks” is the safest general wording.
- “A quiet year means there are no cicadas underground.” Periodical nymphs can remain below ground for many years before the synchronized emergence of their brood.
What should you remember about cicada lifespan?
The shortest accurate answer is: periodical cicadas spend 13 or 17 years developing underground and about three to four weeks as adults above ground. Annual cicadas may appear each summer even though their individual development can take two to nine years. Always separate the underground nymph stage, the brief adult stage, and the population’s emergence pattern before assigning a lifespan.
For further identification and life-cycle context, consult the educational pages from the University of Illinois Extension, Penn State Extension, and the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program.
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How long do cicada eggs take to hatch?
They hatch after several weeks. The Smithsonian estimates six to seven weeks, while Wisconsin Extension gives six to ten weeks, so the exact interval varies by source and conditions; a universal single-week figure would be too precise.
Can a cicada’s life cycle be shorter than 13 years?
Yes. The 13- and 17-year schedules apply to periodical cicadas, not all species. Wisconsin Extension reports two- to nine-year cycles for annual cicadas, and other cicada groups can follow their own timings.
Why are 13-year cicadas generally associated with the South?
The broad pattern places 13-year periodical cicadas farther south and 17-year cicadas farther north, but the ranges overlap in the central United States. Geography is therefore a useful clue, not a definitive identification rule.
Do cicadas emerge every year in the same place?
Periodical cicadas emerge in synchronized broods only when that brood reaches maturity, creating long quiet intervals between major appearances. Annual cicadas can be seen every summer because different generations are distributed across overlapping multi-year schedules.
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