When do insect bites peak in United Kingdom?
Across 94,043 verified records for the United Kingdom, biting and stinging activity concentrates in April to August — July alone accounts for 22% of sightings, and December is the quietest month of the year.
The year, month by month
| Month | Activity | Share | Mostly |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0% | Bed bug, Head lice bites, Aedes mosquito | |
| February | 2% | Bed bug, Head lice bites, Aedes mosquito | |
| March | 4% | Castor bean tick, Honey bee, Bed bug | |
| April | 11% | Castor bean tick, Honey bee, Mosquito | |
| May | 13% | Castor bean tick, Honey bee, Mosquito | |
| June | 20% | Castor bean tick, Honey bee, Yellowjacket | |
| July | 22% | Castor bean tick, Honey bee, Yellowjacket | |
| August | 17% | Castor bean tick, Honey bee, Yellowjacket | |
| September | 8% | Castor bean tick, Honey bee, Yellowjacket | |
| October | 4% | Castor bean tick, Honey bee, Yellowjacket | |
| November | 1% | Bed bug, Head lice bites, Flea | |
| December | 0% | Bed bug, Head lice bites, Aedes mosquito |
Calculated from GBIF biodiversity records for the United Kingdom, 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 United Kingdom
Britain is a low-risk country for bites in the sense that almost nothing here is dangerous — and one clear exception. Ticks carrying Lyme borreliosis are present across the country, with the New Forest, the Scottish Highlands, Exmoor and Thetford Forest among the better-known areas. There are no medically significant spiders or scorpions, and the false widow, which appears in the press every autumn, causes local pain rather than serious harm.
| 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 | 6,715 | May to July |
| Honey bee sting | single | feet — bees are often stepped on in clover, hands | 76,033 | June to August |
| Yellowjacket sting | single or several — this wasp can sting repeatedly | hands, face | 6,663 | April, July, August, September |
| Mosquito bite | single bumps scattered over exposed skin | ankles, lower legs | 3,459 | July to September |
| Bed bug bite | lines or zigzags of three or more — the classic "breakfast, lunch and dinner" | arms, shoulders | 368 | June to August |
| Head lice bites | concentrated behind the ears and at the nape | scalp, behind the ears | 338 | May, June, December |
| Flea bite | clusters of three or four, or short irregular groups | ankles, shins | 242 | July |
| Aedes mosquito bite | several bites, frequently on ankles and lower legs | ankles, lower legs | 126 | April, July, December |
| Paper wasp sting | usually single | hands, head | 65 | April to August |
| Scabies rash | symmetrical, in finger webs, wrists, waistline, armpits and groin | finger webs, wrists | 31 | January, March, April, July |
| Deer tick bite | single, usually in a skin fold or hairline | groin, armpits | 2 | — |
| Yellow sac spider bite | single, sometimes two nearby | neck, arms | 1 | — |
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 United Kingdom
One risk that matters (ticks), a lot of nuisance biting (midges, mosquitoes, horseflies), and essentially no venomous species. Scottish midges are a genuine seasonal phenomenon rather than a joke.
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)
- Flea bite — murine typhus (Gulf Coast, California, Hawaii), cat scratch disease bacteria carried between cats, flea tapeworm (mainly in children who swallow a flea)
- Aedes mosquito bite — dengue, Zika, chikungunya, yellow fever
- Scabies rash — secondary bacterial skin infection is common from scratching
- Deer tick bite — Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Powassan virus (rare)
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, Yellowjacket, Paper wasp are recorded in United Kingdom. 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 United Kingdom'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 United Kingdom
NHS 111 for advice, 999 for emergencies. Pharmacists can advise on bites and antihistamines 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.