13-year cicadas expected in middle Tenn.

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NASHVILLE, March 16 (UPI) -- Entomologists in Tennessee said periodic cicadas expected to emerge this spring will likely be concentrated in the center of the state.

The experts said the last cicada outbreak in the state, about seven years ago, was concentrated in Knoxville, in the eastern part of the state, but the batch expected to emerge beginning in May are believed to be centered in the middle part of the state, The Knoxville News-Sentinel reported Tuesday.

The entomologists said the cicadas that emerged in 2004 were part of Brood X, which breeds every 17 years, and the noisy insects slated to appear this year are part of Brood XIX, which emerge every 13 years.

Frank Hale, entomologist with the University of Tennessee's Agricultural Extension Service in Nashville, said central Tennessee is expected to be filled with the cicadas this season.

"For us in Middle Tennessee, this is definitely the big one," Hale said.