How Long Do Cicadas Live After Emerging?
If you are wondering how long cicadas live after emerging, the short answer is not long, just a few weeks as winged adults. Once they climb out of the ground, shed their skins, and start calling, their job shifts from growing to mating and laying eggs. The exact adult lifespan depends on the species and weather, but the aboveground stage is brief compared with the years they spend underground.
How Long Adult Cicadas Live After They Emerge
Adult cicadas live about 2 to 6 weeks after emerging, and many die sooner if they are eaten, injured, or exposed to extreme heat and dryness. Their bodies are built for reproduction, not long-term survival, so the adult stage is short by design. After the final molt, the newly emerged cicada hardens its wings, mates, and the female lays eggs in twigs before dying.
How long do adult cicadas live?
For most people asking how long do adult cicadas live, the practical answer is about one month. Males can spend much of that time singing to attract females, while females divide their time between feeding, mating, and egg laying. Periodical cicadas and annual cicadas follow the same adult pattern, even though their underground life cycles are very different.
How long do cicadas live once they emerge?
Once they emerge, cicadas are vulnerable immediately. Birds, reptiles, spiders, and even lawn activity can reduce the number that survive long enough to reproduce. If weather is mild and food plants are available, adults live close to the upper end of that 2 to 6 week range.
The Cicada Life Cycle From Egg to Adult
The cicada life cycle has three stages, egg, nymph, and adult. That is the full process people mean when they ask about cicadas life cycle, cicadas bugs life cycle, or what is the cicadas life cycle. The winged adult stage is the shortest stage, but the underground nymph stage lasts the longest by far.
Egg stage
After mating, the female cuts slits into thin twigs and lays clusters of eggs inside. Those eggs hatch in about 6 to 10 weeks, depending on species and temperature. The young nymphs drop to the ground, burrow into the soil, and begin feeding on root fluids.
Nymph stage
Nymphs spend years underground, feeding and growing through repeated molts. This is where the famous long life span of cicadas comes from, not the adult stage. Periodical cicadas spend 13 or 17 years underground, while annual cicadas mature on shorter, overlapping cycles.
Adult stage
When the final molt arrives, the nymph climbs out, splits its shell, and becomes a winged adult. The adult cicadas life span after emerging is short, but intense, centered on calling, mating, and egg laying. This is why the question how long do cicadas live for has two very different answers, underground and aboveground.
Periodical Cicadas Versus Annual Cicadas
Periodical cicadas and annual cicadas have the same basic life plan, but different timelines. Periodical cicadas emerge in huge synchronized broods after 13 or 17 years underground. Annual cicadas emerge every year in smaller numbers, with overlapping generations that make their life cycle seem continuous.
How long do periodic cicadas live?
How long do periodic cicadas live depends on which part of the cycle you mean. Underground, they live 13 or 17 years as nymphs. After emerging, they live only a few weeks as adults. That means the spectacular aboveground event is brief, even for the longest-living cicada species.
Why do periodical cicadas emerge all at once?
The mass emergence overwhelms predators. Birds and other animals can eat plenty of cicadas, but not enough to wipe out an entire brood. This strategy helps the species survive even though each individual adult has a short lifespan.
What Happens After They Come Out
Right after emerging, cicadas climb onto trees, fences, and other vertical surfaces. They shed the nymphal skin, expand their wings, and wait for the body to harden. This is the stage many homeowners notice most, because the shed shells stay attached to bark, siding, and garden plants.
When do cicadas die?
Cicadas die after they mate and females finish laying eggs, or sooner if they are eaten or damaged. Most adult deaths happen within a month of emergence. After the season ends, the ground is quiet again while the next generation continues underground.
How long do cicadas live when they come out?
When they come out, they live long enough to complete the adult tasks of their species, not much longer. Males call first, females answer, and mating follows within days. In hot, dry weather, adult life can end faster because cicadas lose water quickly.
How Cicadas Behave, Feed, and Sense the World
Adult cicadas feed on plant fluids from twigs, stems, and roots in the nymph stage, but they do not chew leaves the way many people assume. As adults, their mouthparts are used for piercing and sucking, not biting. Their main activity above ground is reproduction, not eating.
How cicadas find mates
Males produce loud songs using specialized structures called tymbals on the abdomen. Each species has its own calling pattern, which helps females identify the right mate. The chorus can be extremely loud in tree canopies, especially during warm afternoons.
What senses do cicadas use?
Cicadas rely heavily on sound, vibration, and vision. Males use sound to attract females, and both sexes use sight to locate trees and escape danger. Their sensory world is simple compared with mammals, but it is effective for finding mates and avoiding predators during a short adult life.
Why Their Lifespan Matters in the Garden and Yard
Cicadas are not garden pests in the usual sense. Adult cicadas do not strip healthy plants, and their underground feeding rarely harms established trees. The main garden issue is egg laying, because females can slit small twigs and cause flagging on young trees or newly planted shrubs.
How to protect young trees naturally
- Cover young trees with fine mesh netting before the first adults appear.
- Secure the netting all the way to the trunk so cicadas cannot crawl underneath.
- Remove the cover after the adult flight ends and egg laying stops.
- Water young trees deeply during dry weather so they recover from twig damage faster.
For established trees, the best defense is simple monitoring. A few twig scars on mature plants do not cause lasting damage, but repeated egg laying on very young trees can stunt new growth. Companion planting does not repel cicadas, so physical exclusion is the most reliable natural method.
FAQs About Cicada Lifespan and Life Cycle
How long do cicadas live as adults?
Adult cicadas live about 2 to 6 weeks after emerging. That is the stage people see and hear, and it is the shortest part of the cicada life cycle.
How long can cicadas live overall?
Overall lifespan depends on the species. Annual cicadas can complete their full life cycle in a few years, while periodical cicadas spend 13 or 17 years underground before emerging. In both cases, the adult stage is only a small fraction of total life.
How long does a cicada last after it comes out of the ground?
After coming out of the ground, a cicada lasts a few weeks, with the exact time shaped by weather, predators, and successful mating. The adult phase ends after reproduction is complete.
Do all cicadas die right after mating?
Not instantly, but the adult stage is closely tied to mating and egg laying. Once those tasks are done, death follows soon after because the adult body is not built for long-term survival.
What is different about periodical cicadas life cycle?
Periodical cicadas spend most of their lives underground for 13 or 17 years, then emerge together in massive numbers. After emergence, their adult life span is still only a few weeks, just like other cicadas.