When do insect bites peak in France?
Across 71,047 verified records for France, biting and stinging activity concentrates in April to August — July alone accounts for 16% of sightings, and December is the quietest month of the year.
The year, month by month
| Month | Activity | Share | Mostly |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1% | Aedes mosquito, Bed bug, Head lice bites | |
| February | 3% | Aedes mosquito, Bed bug, Head lice bites | |
| March | 8% | Castor bean tick, Aedes mosquito, Honey bee | |
| April | 14% | Castor bean tick, Aedes mosquito, Honey bee | |
| May | 15% | Castor bean tick, Aedes mosquito, Honey bee | |
| June | 16% | Castor bean tick, Aedes mosquito, Honey bee | |
| July | 16% | Castor bean tick, Aedes mosquito, Honey bee | |
| August | 12% | Castor bean tick, Aedes mosquito, Honey bee | |
| September | 8% | Castor bean tick, Aedes mosquito, Honey bee | |
| October | 5% | Castor bean tick, Aedes mosquito, Honey bee | |
| November | 2% | Aedes mosquito, Yellow sac spider, Bed bug | |
| December | 1% | Aedes mosquito, Bed bug, Head lice bites |
Calculated from GBIF biodiversity records for France, snapshot 2026-07-27. Records reflect when people observe and report specimens, which tracks activity closely but is not the same as how often anyone gets bitten. See our methodology.
What actually bites you in France
France spans two situations. In the north and centre the picture is British: ticks in woodland, mosquitoes near water, wasps in late summer. Along the Mediterranean the tiger mosquito has established itself across most southern departments, which brings daytime biting and, in occasional local clusters, dengue and chikungunya transmitted within France rather than imported.
| Species | Pattern | Where on body | Records | Peak here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castor bean tick bite | single, usually in a skin fold or the hairline | behind the knees, groin | 1,748 | April to June |
| Aedes mosquito bite | several bites, frequently on ankles and lower legs | ankles, lower legs | 193 | April |
| Honey bee sting | single | feet — bees are often stepped on in clover, hands | 58,868 | April to August |
| Paper wasp sting | usually single | hands, head | 4,506 | June to August |
| Yellowjacket sting | single or several — this wasp can sting repeatedly | hands, face | 2,599 | April, July, August, September, October |
| Mosquito bite | single bumps scattered over exposed skin | ankles, lower legs | 1,904 | April, June, July, September |
| Yellow sac spider bite | single, sometimes two nearby | neck, arms | 926 | May to July |
| Bed bug bite | lines or zigzags of three or more — the classic "breakfast, lunch and dinner" | arms, shoulders | 118 | July, October |
| Flea bite | clusters of three or four, or short irregular groups | ankles, shins | 87 | March, August, November, December |
| Head lice bites | concentrated behind the ears and at the nape | scalp, behind the ears | 72 | July |
| Scabies rash | symmetrical, in finger webs, wrists, waistline, armpits and groin | finger webs, wrists | 26 | — |
Honey bees usually top records like these because they are the most photographed insect on earth, not because they sting most often. Read the column as "definitely present here", not as a ranking of risk.
What is different about France
A north–south split. The Mediterranean departments have a tropical-type daytime mosquito problem that the north does not.
Species linked to illness here
- Castor bean tick bite — Lyme borreliosis, tick-borne encephalitis (central and eastern Europe, not the UK), anaplasmosis
- Aedes mosquito bite — dengue, Zika, chikungunya, yellow fever
- Mosquito bite — West Nile virus, La Crosse encephalitis, dengue (Gulf Coast and Southwest, local cases), chikungunya (rare, travel-linked)
- Flea bite — murine typhus (Gulf Coast, California, Hawaii), cat scratch disease bacteria carried between cats, flea tapeworm (mainly in children who swallow a flea)
- Scabies rash — secondary bacterial skin infection is common from scratching
Most bites transmit nothing. What matters is the follow-up: note the date, and report any fever or expanding rash in the weeks afterwards to a clinician, mentioning the bite and where you were.
Stings rather than bites
Honey bee, Paper wasp, Yellowjacket are recorded in France. Stings differ from bites in one way that matters: they can cause anaphylaxis in sensitised people, and that risk does not depend on how mild previous stings looked. Anyone who has had a severe reaction should carry an adrenaline auto-injector.
Year-round regardless of season
Weather does not affect everything. Bed bugs, scabies and head lice depend on people rather than temperature, so a bite pattern in the middle of France's quiet season points to those first — see what is biting me at night.
Seek medical care if
Call emergency services now for difficulty breathing, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, dizziness or fainting, or hives spreading away from the bite.
- difficulty breathing, or swelling of the lips, tongue or throat after a sting
- a red area that is spreading, hot and painful, especially with a red streak
- fever, chills or feeling generally unwell in the days or weeks after a bite
- an expanding rash appearing 3 to 30 days after a tick bite
- a bite that is getting worse rather than better after 72 hours
Where to get help in France
Call 15 (SAMU) or 112 for emergencies. Pharmacists are the usual first stop for bites and stings and can advise without an appointment.
Get a photo assessment in the app
Everything above is free to read. The app adds what a page cannot: point your camera at the bite and get an assessment of the most likely cause, a severity read, and a day-by-day care plan — including the specific signs that mean you should be seen.
iPhone and iPad. Free to download.