HARRISBURG (TNS) — Cicadas are creepy-looking, red-eyed bugs that emerge in writhing masses everyone once in a while looking for love.

And one of the largest cicada broods around will come up from the ground in some areas of the United States in a couple of months, including in Pennsylvania.

According to CicadaMania. com, Brood XIV (14) will grace 13 states this upcoming spring season, Pennsylvania among them. They’ll also pop up in Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

This brood involves all three 17-year species, the site explains: Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada cassini, and Magicicada septendecula.

The University of Connecticut explains that Brood XIV is, in fact, the second- largest periodical brood there is. Brood XIX is the largest.

“Periodical cicadas are found in eastern North America and belong to the genus ‘Magicicada,‘” the University of Michigan said.

“There are seven species — four with 13-year life cycles (including one new species described in 2000), and three with 17-year cycles.

“The three 17-year- species are generally northern in distribution, while the 13-year species are generally southern and midwestern. Magicicada are so well-synchronized developmentally that they are nearly absent as adults in the 12 or 16 years between emergences.”

They also might be called locusts, but they’re not, the University of Michigan added.

Additionally, while they’re certainly freaky-looking, they’re harmless to humans (and even nutritious).

So, just to quote a certain metal group: “You know that it’s time to emerge,” Brood XIV. Well, by mid-May they’re expected to emerge, anyway.

Then this emergence will end late June.