When do insect bites peak in Germany?
Across 163,692 verified records for Germany, biting and stinging activity concentrates in April to August — June alone accounts for 24% of sightings, and December is the quietest month of the year.
The year, month by month
| Month | Activity | Share | Mostly |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0% | Aedes mosquito, Head lice bites, Bed bug | |
| February | 2% | Aedes mosquito, Head lice bites, Bed bug | |
| March | 6% | Castor bean tick, Honey bee, Aedes mosquito | |
| April | 11% | Castor bean tick, Honey bee, Mosquito | |
| May | 12% | Castor bean tick, Honey bee, Paper wasp | |
| June | 24% | Castor bean tick, Honey bee, Paper wasp | |
| July | 15% | Castor bean tick, Honey bee, Paper wasp | |
| August | 19% | Castor bean tick, Honey bee, Paper wasp | |
| September | 6% | Castor bean tick, Honey bee, Paper wasp | |
| October | 3% | Castor bean tick, Honey bee, Yellowjacket | |
| November | 1% | Yellow sac spider, Aedes mosquito, Head lice bites | |
| December | 0% | Aedes mosquito, Head lice bites, Bed bug |
Calculated from GBIF biodiversity records for Germany, 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 Germany
Germany has one feature that separates it from Britain and France: tick-borne encephalitis. The Robert Koch Institute designates risk areas — largely Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, extending into Thuringia, Saxony and Hesse — and vaccination is recommended for people who spend time outdoors there. That is a decision to make before the season, not after a bite.
| 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 | 5,967 | April to June |
| Honey bee sting | single | feet — bees are often stepped on in clover, hands | 126,711 | June to August |
| Paper wasp sting | usually single | hands, head | 20,489 | June to August |
| Yellowjacket sting | single or several — this wasp can sting repeatedly | hands, face | 8,625 | April, August, September |
| Mosquito bite | single bumps scattered over exposed skin | ankles, lower legs | 1,215 | June, August |
| Yellow sac spider bite | single, sometimes two nearby | neck, arms | 437 | January, April |
| Aedes mosquito bite | several bites, frequently on ankles and lower legs | ankles, lower legs | 84 | April, October |
| Head lice bites | concentrated behind the ears and at the nape | scalp, behind the ears | 70 | August, September, November |
| Bed bug bite | lines or zigzags of three or more — the classic "breakfast, lunch and dinner" | arms, shoulders | 33 | February, May, June, October |
| Flea bite | clusters of three or four, or short irregular groups | ankles, shins | 33 | August, November, December |
| Bald-faced hornet sting | often several — the colony defends aggressively | head, neck | 19 | — |
| Deer tick bite | single, usually in a skin fold or hairline | groin, armpits | 2 | — |
| Scabies rash | symmetrical, in finger webs, wrists, waistline, armpits and groin | finger webs, wrists | 2 | — |
| Redback spider bite | single site | hands, buttocks | 2 | — |
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 Germany
Two tick-borne illnesses rather than one: Lyme borreliosis nationwide, plus TBE in designated southern regions where a vaccine exists.
Species linked to illness here
- Castor bean tick bite — Lyme borreliosis, tick-borne encephalitis (central and eastern Europe, not the UK), anaplasmosis
- Mosquito bite — West Nile virus, La Crosse encephalitis, dengue (Gulf Coast and Southwest, local cases), chikungunya (rare, travel-linked)
- Aedes mosquito bite — dengue, Zika, chikungunya, yellow fever
- Flea bite — murine typhus (Gulf Coast, California, Hawaii), cat scratch disease bacteria carried between cats, flea tapeworm (mainly in children who swallow a flea)
- Deer tick bite — Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Powassan virus (rare)
- 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, Bald-faced hornet are recorded in Germany. 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 Germany'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 Germany
Call 112 for emergencies. Your Hausarzt for anything else; pharmacies advise on bites 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.