The last time Brood XIV made an appearance to the area, gas prices were just more than $1 per gallon, "Dances With Wolves" had recently won seven Oscars, and the Twins and Braves were playing their way to the World Series.

The year was 1991.

Anytime now, the 17-year cicadas will make another visit.

"They've already been emerging in Ohio," said Karl Kleiner, an associate professor in the biology department at York College. "These are adults. . . . They have spent 17 years

feeding underground on sap of tree roots."

It's difficult to say how many cicadas will show up in York County, he said. But weather affects cicada population because they don't like soil temperatures that are too cold.

Based on climate predictions, he said, cicadas will likely appear in heavier concentrations in Perry and Schuylkill counties.

Once they emerge, the cicadas will mate, lay eggs and disappear around mid-June, he said.

Periodical cicadas don't bite and aren't dangerous, he said. However, when the female lays its eggs, it can damage young tree limbs, he said.

A garden hose can be used to spray the bugs off vegetation, he said.

"The female actually slices into the a twig and lays eggs," Kleiner said. "That weakens the twig. . . . They could cause a bit of

Other than that -- and the fact that they make a lot of noise -- they're harmless, he said.

"Sit back and enjoy them," Kleiner said. "You won't see them for another 17 years."

Gene Saul, a master gardener with Penn State's cooperative extension office in Springettsbury Township, said gardeners can also cover young trees and shrubs with a fine mesh to protect them.

However, you don't need to do so unless the bugs show up, he said.

"Don't worry about it . . . unless you see evidence," he said.

AT A GLANCE

How to tell the difference between a periodical cicada and an annual cicada:

Periodical cicadas have red eyes and smaller bodies, and their wings tend to have orange veins, said Karl Kleiner, an associate professor in the biology department at York College.

They appear between May and July, with heaviest concentrations the last two weeks of May and the first week of June, according to an Ohio State University factsheet.

Annual cicadas, also known as "Dog Day" cicadas, are green-eyed and usually emerge in August, he said.