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A brood of cicadas, those loud, red-eyed bugs that infested the region four years ago, will soon emerge again in some parts.

"The southeastern part of Cincinnati will get hit pretty hard with cicadas, where some can reach up to 200 per square yard," said Gene Kritsky, a cicada expert and biology professor at the College of Mount St. Joseph.

Parts of southern Butler, Warren and Hamilton counties, and parts of Kentucky, will be affected, Kritsky said.

These bugs are offspring of the Brood XIV cicadas, which emerged in 1991, said Dan Balser, a specialist with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry. Broods are groups of cicadas that emerge during the same year after the soil temperature reaches 65.

"Normally, cicadas occur around the 28th and 29th of May," Kritsky said.

Cicadas don't bite people or carry diseases. They do, however, damage trees, especially young ones, Kritsky said.

Protect trees by wrapping them with thin mesh cloth or bags to prevent female cicadas from laying eggs on them, Kritsky said.

Contact this reporter at mgeorge@coxohio.com.

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