Do cicadas bite or sting?
Technically cicadas don’t bite or sting; they do however pierce and suck. They might try to pierce and suck you, but don’t worry, they aren’t Vampires nor are they malicious or angry — they’re just ignorant and think you’re a tree. Just remove the cicada from your person, and go about your business.
Cicadas obtain sustenance by drinking tree fluids.
See if you can spot the cicadas’ sucker in this illustration:
Here’s a photo of a cicada’s mouth parts:
Now if squirrels live in your hair, and there’s a tire swing hanging from your arm, you are a tree, and there should be no surprise that a cicada is trying to drink fluids from you.
when i was younger i found a cicada and i was showing my mom ,then all of a sudden it pierced my finger.About 6 years later(today) i found another one on the ground after a freak thunder storm ant i don’t know if its going to do that buzzing thing or even sting me, are there any signs to show that they will buzz or sting?
Comment by ashley hemmings — July 18, 2008 @ 11:40 am
I am writing tonight July 19th 2008,I saw this other comment by Ashley and it blew my mind.I live in wolfeboro NH and I found a cicada last night after the thunderstorm we had and I held it on my finger and brought it to the store,I drove,walked around the store and payed for groceries while this thing was sitting in my thumb!!!I didnt realise what it was,my 4 yr old daughter was sticking her fingers in front of it and it lifted its 2 front legs and then opened its mouth and this like 3-4 inch straw like thing came out of its mouth,that was my que to get it off of my hand!!I flicked it and it flew away.It never made any noises or buzzing at all during the whole hour and a half!I am so happy that I got the opportunity to hold such an amazing creature especially for that long without it biting me!!
Comment by angel — July 19, 2008 @ 7:19 pm
one was on my tire this morning. u said that it sucks, will it pierce my tire? i dont need another flat one.
Comment by letoya — August 23, 2008 @ 7:45 am
I hope not — they aren’t that tough.
Comment by Dan — August 23, 2008 @ 8:17 am
While my 7-month-old grandchild was in his saucer on the porch this morning, a cicada landed on his cheek and began to buzz. i flicked it off but his cheek is all red. i think it is from irritation (he has sensitive skin) rather than from any kind of bite.
Comment by Noel — August 28, 2008 @ 12:45 pm
OK today I had a Cicada latch onto my arm and peiced through my shirt and started to suck my blood… It was sitting on there for about 10 minutes before I realised what was happening.
Secondly I tried to get it off me, it flew back on and proceeded to bite me.
THIS HURT LIKE HELL
im also not feeling so good at the moment.. Ive never been bitten by one before.
Comment by Angus — January 4, 2009 @ 5:53 pm
omg the other day I was getting a cicada out of my pool because it was drowning. I saved it. It sat on me for a while but then it felt like it was stabbing me. I had a look and this big long stick like thing was stabbing my hand and it really hurt!!!!!
Comment by char — February 17, 2009 @ 3:52 pm
[...] May 2009 We have been trying to find out this information, and there is a very amusing posting on Cicada Mania that indicates they may bite. It states: “Technically cicadas don’t bite or sting; they [...]
Pingback by Another BUG OF THE MONTH MAY 2009: 17 Year Locusts, Scientists surprised By Unexpected Emergence Of Periodical Cicadas — Four Years Early | What's That Bug? — May 10, 2009 @ 6:51 am
Wow, cicadas hurt, and it’s especially annoying since I prevented it from being incinerated. It was crawling on me and suddenly i felt this VERY sharp pain in my finger and I saw the aforementioned very large, painful, proboscis.
Comment by Jack — August 18, 2009 @ 10:59 pm
I saw two weird looking bugs on my trash can while cleaning my car. I took a picture of them and e-mailed them to my husband. Needless to say i quit cleaning my car. I DON”T LIKE BUGS. My nephew came out to see what all of the fuss was about. I was looking them up online. he told me they were called cicadas and that they normally don’t bite. I found out that it was only the shell that was on my trash can so no i get to go finish cleaning my car. I was really freaked out though, because i have never seen anything like it before.
Comment by Rachel — August 19, 2009 @ 10:44 am
I often wondered whether or not cicadas bite…or cause pain in some “weird” way. I live in Fla. and I get them on my driveway often. I often find them on their backs buzzing and chirping trying to get right side up. I just flip them over carefully with a stick. I never picked one up by hand though. Thats when I googled “do cicadas bite?” and found this site. Glad I read this. I have often been tempted to pick one up. Hah..not anymore. Thanks for the comments people :)
Comment by Bruce Wrigleys gumchew — August 19, 2009 @ 10:07 pm
It’s possible that they could puncture your skin with their straw-like mouth parts because they think you’re a tree, but they don’t bite or sting in self defense like bees, wasps, and ants do.
Comment by Dan — August 20, 2009 @ 5:24 am
i was at a 7-11 store and i was getting out of my car, and realized what was in the back seat,( a huge cicada) and it bit me, everyone thinks that its all in my head, it happened, i didnt take long for me to feel nausious, i think it wanted to kill me? but i lived to tell the story, and bottom line. they bite… and most people say that they dont hurt you, b.s ..oh… and someone also told me that they cant see? b.s… that one that bit me at first circled around the parking lot and attacked me again. my wife is a witness,
Comment by mostwanted — August 27, 2009 @ 6:19 am
I was terrified when I was on my skateboard and I was about to ollie (jump with a skateboard) over a crate.. Next thing this HUGE bug falls centimeters from my head and it messed me up so bad.. I ran away for 10 seconds and came back… And it stopped screeching I was like !! What is that? Then I figured it had to be a cicada cause it was the loudest and biggest screaming bug I ever saw.. Then it was starting to get dark.. And I think I rolled over it =(..
Comment by BNyc3AtBall — September 1, 2009 @ 7:14 am
I was sitting on my girlfriends couch petting her cat when all of a sudden there as a strange creepy feeling on my arm. I looked down and there was huge cicada latched to my shirt. It had greenish wings and big buggy eyes. My girlfriend heard me moaning and came to see this thing that was perched on my arm so she went to get a glass jar to capture it. By the time she got back she said I looked pale and thought maybe he sucked too much blood which really FREAKED me out! She said not to worry but keep it away from the cat he’s already too shy. We kept it in the jar but he died over night and I can’t find any taxidermists to mount it for me.
Comment by RandmAxess — September 1, 2009 @ 7:29 pm
I was gardening with a friend when I saw a cicada on a plant. I let it crawl onto my finger and it stayed there for a while. Then I saw what looked like a proboscis or something come out towards my finger, so I flicked the cicada off. It didn’t pierce the skin, but it sort of freaked me out. :)
Comment by ook — September 8, 2009 @ 5:56 am
What is wrong with you psycho’s??????
Cicada’s don’t bite….they don’t have a mouth!
They do however have a straw-like appendage wich is how they feed themselves.
Hell, if you was to leave one on your arm long enough sure they would attempt to eat, but they don’t suck blood….get real!
I have considered Cicada’s my favorite insect for nearly 35 years. When I was 8 years old I would go out at night and gather them before they would hatch and put them on the inside of my window screen. They would hatch and in the morning I would send them on their way. Kinda my way of making sure one of God’s creatures survived the process of hatching overnight.
They are quite harmless and after letting my kids read your silly stories they are laughing at each one of you….don’t confuse this with laughing with you……wimps.
Comment by M W Desteiguer — September 16, 2009 @ 7:25 pm
I live in North Florida. I was surprised to read the post from the lady in Fl who said she often had them. I was born and raised in S. Fl and never saw one. But have moved to N. Fl now. One day I heard a VERY loud buzzing noise. It was so loud it alarmed me. So I opened the front door to find a dead Cicada (was his chirping his farewell speech)? I was so impressed by it and it’s massive size. I put it’s body in a jar to save and show to someone. My neighbor’s son collects insects and he ask for it. So that “little” guy “lives on” in a collection. It impressed quite a few of us who had never seen one. And now I have finally heard the sound I’ve heard so much about from others.
PS.
Was it lost? Never seen one before or since and it’s been a several years.
Comment by Shari — October 25, 2009 @ 2:40 pm