A cicada is an insect with large eyes wide apart on the head and usually transparent, well-veined wings. There are about 2,500 species of cicada around the globe. They are known as “dry flies” because of the dry shell they leave behind. Cicadas do not bite or sting, are benign to humans and plants, and therefore are not considered pests. Many people around the world regularly eat cicadas: the female is prized as it is meatier. The name is a direct derivation of the Latin cicada, meaning “buzzer”.