Identify Insect Bite

When do insect bites peak in United States?

Across 804,899 verified records for the United States, biting and stinging activity concentrates in May to September — July alone accounts for 17% of sightings, and December is the quietest month of the year.

The year, month by month

Share of all recorded sightings in United States, by month
MonthActivityShareMostly
January 1% Aedes mosquito, Bed bug, Head lice bites
February 2% Aedes mosquito, Bed bug, Head lice bites
March 4% Honey bee, Lone star tick, Fire ant
April 9% Honey bee, Mosquito, Carpenter ant
May 11% Honey bee, Mosquito, Carpenter ant
June 16% Honey bee, Mosquito, Bald-faced hornet
July 17% Honey bee, Mosquito, Bald-faced hornet
August 16% Honey bee, Mosquito, Bald-faced hornet
September 14% Honey bee, Mosquito, Bald-faced hornet
October 7% Honey bee, Mosquito, Bald-faced hornet
November 2% Fire ant, Aedes mosquito, Yellow sac spider
December 1% Aedes mosquito, Bed bug, Head lice bites

Calculated from GBIF biodiversity records for the United States, 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 States

The United States is the one country here where which state you are in changes the answer more than the season does. A brown recluse in Missouri is routine; the same lesion in Oregon almost certainly is not a recluse bite. Lyme disease is concentrated in the Northeast and upper Midwest, Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the south-central states, and fire ants stop at a line across the Southeast.

SpeciesPatternWhere on bodyRecordsPeak here
Honey bee sting single feet — bees are often stepped on in clover, hands 331,380 April, June, July, September
Mosquito bite single bumps scattered over exposed skin ankles, lower legs 228,336 June to September
Bald-faced hornet sting often several — the colony defends aggressively head, neck 33,623 July to October
Carpenter ant bite single or a few hands, arms 30,606 April to July
Paper wasp sting usually single hands, head 30,258 June to September
Lone star tick bite single, sometimes dozens at once when larval "seed ticks" swarm legs, waist 30,011 May to July
Fire ant sting multiple stings in a ring or cluster — the ant grips and pivots feet, ankles 24,580 March to May
American dog tick bite single scalp, neck 21,425 April to July
Aedes mosquito bite several bites, frequently on ankles and lower legs ankles, lower legs 17,385 June to October
Deer tick bite single, usually in a skin fold or hairline groin, armpits 15,567 April to June
Yellowjacket sting single or several — this wasp can sting repeatedly hands, face 7,058 August to October
Black widow spider bite single site hands, forearms 6,982 July, September
Brown recluse spider bite single site torso under clothing, upper arms 6,240 May to August
Horsefly bite single, occasionally two legs, back 5,154 June to September

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 States

Ticks are the medically dominant group, and they differ sharply by region. Fire ants and bark scorpions are effectively regional problems, not national ones.

Species linked to illness here

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, Bald-faced hornet, Carpenter ant, Paper wasp, Fire ant are recorded in United States. 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 States'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 States

For anything urgent, call 911. For advice short of that, urgent care or your primary care provider; Poison Control is on 1-800-222-1222 and handles spider and scorpion questions.

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.

Download for iPhone — free

iPhone and iPad. Free to download.

Bites by state

In the United States the state matters more than the month. Pick yours for the species actually recorded there and their local season.