Is it Early for That Loud, High-Pitched Cicada Buzz in Minnesota?

Have you heard that weird, high-pitched buzzing echoing across your neighborhood lately? If you're in southeast Minnesota, it's likely caused by cicadas. Here's why they're already making noise a little earlier this year.

What Is Making the Weird Buzzing Noise in Minnesota? Cicadas

My wife and I first noticed it earlier this week while we were outside in our backyard. It was a loud, almost electrical-sounding buzz, similar to what you might hear under a high-voltage power line. But since all the lines in our neighborhood are buried, we knew it had to be something else.

So what is it? It's actually the buzz coming from... cicadas. And, according to the Minnesota DNR, it's usually a sign that summer is starting to wind down. Because every summer in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, cicadas make that buzzing noise as a mating call. Hearing a cicada during the first week of July, though, seemed a little early to me. I'd always associated their sound with late July or even August

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Why Are Annual Cicadas Emerging So Early This Summer?

But according to the University of Minnesota Extension, those annual cicadas typically begin emerging in late June, with their numbers increasing through July and peaking in late July into August. Hearing one during the first week of July would be a little on the early side, but it's well within the normal range, especially after stretches of hot weather-- which we've definitely had this year.

So yes, hearing a cicada in Rochester in early July is completely plausible. In fact, if you heard one today, as I did, you'll probably start hearing more over the next couple of weeks as the annual cicada chorus builds toward its summer peak, the U of M Extension said.

Photo by Ashlee Marie on Unsplash

Here in the Bold North, those cicadas usually only make that distinctive sound on warm mornings or later in the day when it heats up. The U of M Extension describes their buzz as a "high-pitched, whining sound that lasts about a minute and resembles the sound of a distant buzz saw."

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Other Familiar Insects That Will Soon Be Making Noise in Minnesota

Cicadas, which live in the tree canopy across Minnesota, the DNR says, are usually prevalent throughout July, August, and early September. Due to the hot, dry conditions we experienced earlier this year, we're now hearing the buzzing several weeks earlier, in early July.

There are two other familiar insects across the Land of 10,000 Lakes that make distinctive sounds and noises as well. The DNR says if you're outside now or in the near future in Minnesota, you'll probably also hear the sound made by crickets and katydids, as well-- especially later in the afternoon and evening. (And I've heard both already heard in our backyard as well.)

If you haven't yet, to hear that buzzing of cicadas or the chirping of crickets in Minnesota, it helps if you're out in the country, or at least not right downtown here in Rochester or another city. Luckily, Minnesota has some fairly small towns where you can pretty much ONLY hear cicadas buzzing and crickets chirping. Keep scrolling to check out the 25 Smallest Towns in Minnesota!