How Cicadas Are Born?

Cicadas start their lives as eggs. Females lay 200 to 400 eggs in tiny holes that they make in the branches of trees and shrubs. After six to 10 weeks, cicada young called nymphs hatch from the eggs and immediately fall to the ground.

Why does it take 17 years for cicadas to come out?

As trees go through their seasonal cycles, shedding and growing leaves, the composition of their sap changes. And when cicada nymphs feed on that sap, they likely pick up clues about the passage of time. The 17th iteration of the trees' seasonal cycle gives the nymphs their final cue: it's time to emerge.

How do cicadas emerge from the ground?

After the long 2 to 17 years, cicadas emerge from the ground as nymphs. Nymphs climb the nearest available vertical surface (usually a plant) and begin to shed their nymph exoskeleton. Free of their old skin, their wings will inflate with fluid (haemolymph) and their adult skin will harden (sclerotize).