What has happened to the cicada hatch in 2024?

Their distinctive sound is almost absent on the Tongariro River this season. It seems everyone has a theory as to why they’ve been silenced but some believe New Zealand’s hot conditions are behind it.

Rare photo of a Cicada paddle-boarding down the Tongariro River on pumice to escape from the trout.

Tongariro anglers have been asking whether or not it is time to tie on a cicada?

A wood fence near TRM has been our cicada barometer for many years as the cicadas crawl out of the ground and leave their husks on the fence to warn us. So far in 2024 the total count is zero!

Others have heard the odd one but, so far, it looks like we are in for a non-cicada season.

Someone suggested they might be scared of covid and all stayed in bed?

Can anyone offer a better solution or explain?

How long do NZ cicadas live?

Adult cicada have a short life span of only two to three weeks, because after mating the adult cicada die off. Female chorus cicadas lay their eggs into thin branches of a wide range of plants. Females lay from 5 to 700 eggs, each about the size of a grain of rice.