Answer: No. Cicadas aren't equipped to bite or sting. They do have prickly feet and and a beak which can pinch or scratch. If they confuse you with a tree branch they might try to drink fluids from you or lay some eggs in you, which you would definitely feel.

No, although large dragonflies if held in the hand will sometimes try to bite, but fail to break the skin. They have a lot of "folk names" which imply that they do (such as Horse stinger), but they don't use their egg-laying tube (ovipositor) for stinging. They also don't bite (people) but they are a fearsome predator of other flying insects.

Fire ants bite and then sting! One feels a prickly sensation as the ants bite the skin's surface with their mandibles to get a grip.

They are not able to because they do not have the necessary mouthparts. In contrast to other insects, the butterfly is a model of innocence.

Answer: Hundreds, maybe thousands, of varieties of cicadas live in North America alone. The two best known cicadas in North America are the Magicicada, AKA "the 17 year locust", and the Tibicen, AKA "the Dog Day cicada".

Answer: Maybe, but when people say 7-year cicadas, they probably mean 17 year cicadas. Magicicadas emerge in 17 (or 13) year cycles.

quot;I've experienced this several times where I was on the receiving end of this artificial rain. When many cicadas congregate on warm days, they feed on the tree fluids and often urinate 'piss' while doing so. This bug urine is called 'honey dew.' The little buggers have pelted me several times while I was observing a little 'too' close. It isn't uncommon.

Answer: NO! True locusts belong to the same family of insects as grasshoppers, in fact they look just like a grasshopper. The confusion stems from the fact that both Locusts and Magicicada emerge in periodic swarms. Locusts are far more destructive, destroying all plant life in their path. Cicadas just fly around trees and kill a few branches here and there.

Answer: No, but just in case, try not to eat too many. They will become toxic if you spray them with pesticides - so don't.

Answer: You might hear them first. This depends on where you live, but here's a helpful chart to determine when they'll be appearing next. For more detailed information and MAPS try the Michigan Cicadas web site.

http://ww2.lafayette.edu/~hollidac/cicadakillerhome.html. Besides the Cicada Killer Wasp, just about anything else will eat them as well.

Answer: Periodic cicadas are distributed widely throughout the United States. The annual cicadas are present in summer, but the periodic species have long life cycles. A mature annual species is over two inches long, with a brown-black body, ornamented with clear wings that have green veins. Eyes are red to brown and quite large. There are six species of periodic cicadas in the United States. Three with a 17-year life cycle and three with a 13-year life cycle.

If the device is applied quickly after a bite or sting, it is possible that Biteaway will help prevent the allergic reactions. However, no specific series of tests have been done to confirm or refute this scenario.

Answer: Possibly. Cicadas don't kill flowers and shouldn't damage shrubs, but they can do damage to young, wimpy trees like ornamentals. If you have wimpy little trees, you can net them to keep the cicadas off. Tree species that aren't native to North America won't fare as well as native species. Trees that lose a lot of branches typically revive after a year or two, but they will be ugly in the mean time. Cicadas actually are a benefit to trees, as they destroy the weaker branches.

Answer: Pets may choke on cicadas, or gorge themselves and become ill. Cicadas tainted with pesticide could kill your pets. Keep an eye on your pets -- don't panic if they eat a few, but check to see if they vomit or choke. Big stupid dogs love them.

Answer: For legal reasons (so you can't sue me when your kid turns blue after eating a pail full of these bugs) I won't say yes or no. Asian peoples (and a few Cicada Mania readers) have enjoyed eating cicadas for centuries. Like pets, your children may choke on them or gorge themselves and become ill. Please consult your child's doctor if you're concerned.

Answer: You won't find them in everybody's back yard. If you don't have many deciduous trees in your neighborhood, you probably won't find any. Pesticides, construction, extreme weather conditions and tree removal are also factors. There are no guarantees.