how long do cicadas live above ground

Most cicadas only live above ground for about 3 to 6 weeks as adults, and then they die after mating and egg‑laying.

Quick Scoop: How long do cicadas live above ground?

• Adult cicadas spend almost their entire lives underground as nymphs, from about 2 up to 17 years depending on the species.

• Once they emerge, they molt into their final adult form, sing, mate, and lay eggs over roughly a month to a month and a half before dying.

• Periodical cicadas (the famous 13‑ and 17‑year broods) still only get about 3–5 weeks above ground in their noisy adult phase, even though their total life cycle is so long.

• Some adults may die within days from predators or bad weather, so many individual cicadas don’t make it through that whole 3–6 week window.

In other words, all that loud summer buzzing is the final, brief chapter of a life that was mostly spent quietly underground.