Cicadas are screaming across parts of Cincinnati and beyond.The Brood XIV cicadas have emerged and are causing chaos in parts of the region.Many have noticed - it's hard not to - their cicada symphony getting louder and louder.Dr. Gene Kritsky, in expert in all things cicadas, say he has measured their sound at 80 decibels in places like Sharon Woods. That's comparable to a busy city street or even a vacuum cleaner.Many east side neighborhoods are hearing - and seeing - these periodical insects take over backyards, trees, even cars and garages. Are you sick of them them? Well they will go away eventually, but Kritsky says it won't be for another week, as places like Batavia haven't even reached peak cicada emergence.Kritsky says generally, Things will be noticeably quieter by the end of June.WHAT IS BROOD XIV?Periodical cicadas, as they're known, spend most of their lives underground. In the spring of their 13th or 17th year (in this case 17th), they will emerge synchronously en masse.Amorous males attract mates by rapidly vibrating drumlike tymbals on the sides of their abdomen to produce sound. They’ll shed their exoskeletons, attach themselves to branches, mate and lay eggs before dying off in about six weeks.The hatched nymphs then will drop off the trees and burrow underground to live for another 17 years, and the cycle repeats.It's a natural cycle that cicadas have followed for thousands of years.Areas hit will include Adams, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Gallia, Hamilton, Highland, Ross and Warren counties.WHICH NEIGHBORHOODS WILL SEE THE MOST?Gene Kritsky tells WLWT that those who live along the Interstate 71 corridor and east have a chance of seeing periodical cicadas in good numbers, and that will continue most of the way to Portsmouth.Those on the west side might find an area that has five or six emerging, or it could be half a dozen or so popping up here and there, but nothing like we saw in 2021.WHAT OTHER STATES WILL THEY BE IN?In addition to Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, Brood XIV will also emerge in West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Maryland, North Carolina, among others.DO THEY STING?No.They’re relatively harmless to living things.Cicadas are mainly a nuisance, flying into windshields and littering homes with tiny carcasses.WHAT ABOUT MY PLANTS?Kritsky said while they will emerge on trees, walls and even your tires, they shouldn't pose a threat to your garden or home.HOW CAN YOU HELP?Kritsky helped developed a way for anyone to help scientists track and map cicadas — and they need your help.He helped develop the Cicada Safari app.It allows users to search, photograph, video and help map the cicadas, which will contribute to vital scientific research by determining the distribution of the brood of the emerging cicadas. Such information will enable scientists to assess the status of Brood XIV cicadas.To join Cicada Safari, download the free app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. When a cicada is spotted, users can use the app to photograph or video the insects and then submit the images for inclusion in the cicada map.Kritsky and the Mount have also launched the CicadaSafari.org website, which offers a virtual trove of cicada facts, history, facts, maps and activities.