24 Common Bugs You’ll See In the Summer (with Pictures)

Summertime marks the active season for most types of bugs. Some may appear in early spring while others only become active in early summer.

Bugs and insects seen in the summer are often found indoors. They make their way into the house looking for food. Other species only live outdoors and may be active until August-October, into the fall.

Why Do Many Bugs Come In The House In Summer?

Summertime marks peak activity levels for bugs and insects. Most seek indoor spaces where humans live for food and shelter.

Some species may even survive wintertime in the house. Here’s what attracts them indoors.

Food – open food, juice spills, rotting food, and decaying organic materials all attract various species into the house.

Shelter – indoor living comes with constant temperature, high humidity, and a shelter many bugs cannot have outdoors.

Moisture – high levels of humidity in the kitchen or the bathroom can be the sole reason bugs enter homes.

Lights – attracted to porch lights or other lights around the house, both crawling and flying bugs can enter homes.

Vegetation – climbing plants and other types of vegetation around the house is a breeding ground for insects and bugs which can then enter homes.

Common Bugs In Summer

The following species are most likely to be spotted in the summer.

1. Ants

Ants

Ants are a constant presence in the house during the summer. They enter homes from colonies, either looking for food or shelter.

Vegetation around the house such as climbing plants on the outer walls favors easy access for ants in homes.

High humidity as well as food attracts many types of ants in the house.

Carpenter ants can use homes for shelter. Pavement ants can use the spaces next to the house to create nests.

Paved surfaces are ideal surfaces for these ants to crawl under and nest in as there are no major pests that can harm them there.

Odorous house ants are another constant presence around homes in the summer. These ants are attracted to plants that are covered in honeydew, mainly from aphids.

Unlike nuisance Odorous house ants, Carpenter ants are another constant presence in homes where they also have a negative impact.

They nest in damaged wood where they can cause further structural damage.

These types of ants are a species that nest next to the house. Eliminating carpenter ants means finding all of their nests and even their satellite nests.

Methods to eliminate ants in the summer include trimming vegetation around the house, replacing damaged wood (deck, walls, or doors), and clearing honeydew from plants.

When is the season of ants?

Ants can appear throughout the year as there’s no specific ant season.

2. Bed Bugs

Bed bugs

Bed bugs are some of the most damaging species you may encounter in the summer as they bite.

These small apple seed-like creatures suck blood at night. You might not even spot them during the day as they hide under various objects or on the bed during the day.

Bed bugs are always carried from an infested place such as a bed bug-infested hotel or another home.

These bugs can survive a long time without food. Eventually, they need a blood meal from pets or humans to survive.

When is the season for bed bugs?

Late spring and early summer as well as throughout the summer mark the busiest season for bed bugs.

3. Cockroaches

Cockroach

Cockroaches are some of the most damaging species seen in the summer. They might survive winters indoors which makes it seem like these bugs are ever-present.

German Cockroaches and American Cockroaches are some of the largest roaches found in homes.

As long as there’s food, poor hygiene, and cracks for them to crawl through, these bugs will return.

Cockroaches are omnivores and scavengers. They eat all foods humans eat plus decaying food and dead animals.

Cockroaches also feed on feces and they can spread diseases accordingly when in contact with food.

As nocturnal creatures, roaches tend to hide during the day and even at night when they aren’t feeding.

Acting in groups, cockroaches live social lives and easily mate indoors in warm moist areas.

When is the season of cockroaches?

Cockroaches start to appear in the spring and peak in the summer.

4. Bees

Bee

Bees are found in homes in the summer by accident. Most of them fly indoors attracted to light, sugary food, or carried by drafts of open doors and windows.

Honeybees and bumblebees are some of the typical species found in homes.

These are beneficial insects that should not be killed as efficient pollinators. Leaving windows or doors open for them to fly out is the ideal method of dealing with these nuisance pests.

Sugary food such as fruit, and potted flowers rich in pollen and nectar as well as open honey jars attract bees indoors.

A nearby nest or underground bee nests are also good reasons for bees to enter homes in the summer.

While some bees can bite, it’s best to keep them out of the house. Clearing open food or installing window mesh screens are some of the easiest solutions against bees in homes.

When is the season of bees?

Bees become active either in February or March. They might remain active until October.

5. Wasps

Wasp

Wasps are largely similar to bees. They can fly and they often make their way indoors for food.

Sugary foods are ideal foods for wasps. Jars of open jam or peanut butter may attract bees in the kitchen.

Spilled sodas on the kitchen floor also attract wasps.

Many wasps are solitary while others live communally in nests. Having a wasp nest in the house or around the house is another common reason for these insects to fly indoors.

Some wasps are also known to feed on plant honeydew.

It might be time to clear aphids on your indoor plants or the plants next to the house as these bugs cover plants in wasp-attracting honeydew.

Wasps may also be nesting in the ground around the house. Frequent lawn trimming as well as vegetation trimming around the garden makes most wasps move nests.

When is wasp season?

Wasps are the most active in June and July when they live their nests for food.

6. Flies

House fly

Flies are a nuisance pest in homes. Some types of flies such as Common House Flies may still transmit diseases such as dysentery in rare cases.

Flies like to eat open food which they also use as a support to lay their eggs on.

Organic material building up also attracts flies, together with water leaks that cause high indoor humidity.

Having a home with pests and dead bugs inside also attracts flies, including biting flies.

Drain Flies represent a common summertime insect in the house which grows and multiplies in dirty drains.

Rotting or fermenting food in the drain is their ideal habitat. Eliminating them involves covering up all food or storing it either in containers or in the refrigerator.

When is the fly season?

Flies have a long season that starts in the spring and which may last until late fall if the weather is warm.

7. Mites

Red mite (Trombidium holosericeum)

Mites are small organisms that live indoors through humidity. They can come in with plants and they might be one of the reasons for mild or severe summertime allergies.

Dust mites are an example species that causes excessive sneezing and even triggers other allergic reactions in the summer.

This is a species known to cause allergic reactions throughout the year as many mites survive wintertime indoors.

Dealing with these types of mites involves reducing indoor humidity which favors their spread and limits mold, one of their favorite foods.

Establishing clear rules on indoor plant care also helps keep some types of mites away.

You can eliminate mites in the house by adhering to a clear cleaning routine that removes dust and which also involves keeping humidity under control.

When is the season of mites?

Most mites appear late in the season, just at the end of spring. They remain active through the summer.

8. Spiders

Jumping spider

Jumping spiders or web-weaving spiders are some of the most common spiders seen in the summer.

Some species can live more than a year, entering a state similar to hibernation over the cold winter months.

Spiders become active soon after freezing temperatures become history.

They might also remain active throughout the year when they live indoors.

Flies and bugs are among the first reasons spiders are most active in the summer. Web-weaving spiders need flies for food.

Some spiders such as jumping spiders might make their way indoors and outdoors as needed, for food.

These types of spiders don’t build indoor or outdoors spider webs. They jump on insects and bugs by ambushing techniques based on their good vision.

Keeping spiders out involves getting rid of all insects and bugs they can use as food.

Sealing all gaps around windows is also recommended to keep different species of spiders out.

When is the season of spiders?

Spiders are highly active in the summer and breed in late summer or early fall.

9. Earwigs

Earwig

Earwigs are only seen during the summer months. These bugs with long pincers are often the subject of myths such as the idea they bite the eardrum.

However, earwigs eat insects and plants. They prefer soft insects and soft plants.

Potted plants are one of the main reasons you come across earwigs indoors.

Outside of the house, earwigs can be a constant presence if you overwater the lawn or the garden.

High humidity favors earwigs and other invasive species such as cockroaches around the garden.

Earwigs can crawl indoors and settle in the basement, in the bathroom, or in the kitchen. These are dark places with plenty of humidity where these bugs can find food and make a quick escape when needed.

Properly analyzing the plants you bring indoors is recommended when it comes to keeping these bugs out.

When is the season of earwigs?

Earwigs first appear in the second part of June. They may remain active until September-October.

10. Lice

Head louse

Lice are active throughout the year but they may appear the most active in the summer.

This is the time when most people pick up lice because they become very active by spending more time out in nature and more time with others.

Children easily pick up head lice from other children with lice at summer camp.

Adults may pick up pubic lice from having sexual contact with infected people.

Eggs, young lice, and adult lice are easily transmitted from one infested person to another through prolonged physical contact.

You can keep lice away by practicing good hygiene and not coming in direct contact with infested people or sleeping in infested hotels or camps.

Mostly the size of a poppy seed, lice need immediate attention, unlike other types of bugs you see in the summer such as flies.

When is the season of lice?

The end of August marks one of the yearly breeding periods of lice.

11. Ticks

Adult deer tick

Ticks are almost exclusively seen and picked up during the summer. Coming in contact with an animal or with plants that house or carry ticks is the primary method of bringing them indoors.

Tick bites are painful and risky. Many of these bites lead to hospitalization periods in both humans and pets.

One of the ways you pick up ticks in the summer is by walking through dense vegetation such as woodlands, grassland, and prairies in the summer.

Camping in areas with ticks is another occasion that exposes you to potential tick bites.

Treatment such as ointment and properly removing ticks stuck in your skin are among the first actions to take after you’ve been bitten by ticks.

When is the season of ticks?

Ticks are most active in the summer but can appear with blooming flowers from early March.

12. Scorpions

Scorpion

Scorpions are associated with the warmest places on Earth. They also live in the United States.

Some of the states you’re most likely to encounter scorpions include Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of California.

Highly favoring dry warm habitats including desert scrub.

There are more than 70 species of scorpions identified in The United States. These are species with various sting risks.

Most scorpions might attempt to sting if handled and especially if roughly handled.

Almost all Southern deserts with hot summers and mild winter temperatures can be native habitats to scorpions.

Scorpions might enter homes looking for food. Spiders are among the preferred species scorpions eat.

They also enter homes that aren’t properly sealed, with cracks and openings which allow them to crawl inside.

Scorpions such as Lesser Stripe-tails live in different altitudes, including high-up mountains. This is why the various scorpions in the United States might be found across different types of Southwestern habitats, even outside the most common Arizona habitats.

When is scorpions’ season?

Scorpions are active throughout the year, mainly from March, through the summer, and into late fall.

13. Termites

Termites

Termites are sometimes believed to only live in Southern states. But termites can be found in all US states outside Alaska.

Dampwood and drywood termites are some of the most common species to be spotted in the summer.

They can impact dry structural wood or wood of the home that has already been impacted by water or high moisture.

Termites may get indoors attracted to lights as well. Many flying termites can settle indoors or next to the house initially attracted to lights.

Nesting underground or in damp wood next to the house, termites can build large colonies in the summer.

Plenty of species eat termites. Moles and birds eat termites when they can. However, these predators aren’t likely to eliminate termite populations in the house on their own.

A professional exterminator is needed to get rid of this dangerous species.

When is termite season?

Most termites swarm in the summer. They can also be active in the spring and late summer.

14. Cicadas

Cicada

Cicadas are spotted feeding in the summer. These types of true bugs can fly and they may make it indoors as well.

Unlike other species, cicadas like to be outdoors where they can find plenty of food.

In their early days, cicadas feed on plant juices, sucking them out with their adapted mouthparts.

As they mature, cicadas can also suck sap from shrubs and trees. A high chance of having these bugs fly indoors is possible when your home is surrounded by vegetation, shrubs, and trees.

A small number of cicadas is likely not to be a long-term problem as birds tend to eat them when given the chance.

It’s when cicadas multiply in very large numbers that their predators cannot naturally control their numbers.

You may spot male cicadas in choruses in the summer. This is a mating strategy aimed to attract females.

When is cicada season?

Annual cicadas have a season that starts in June and ends in August. Periodical cicadas only live in the spring.

15. Fleas

Blood from animals and humans is the main food of fleas. While they can be a real problem throughout the year, summertime marks their breeding time and their peak period.

These small bugs only measure around 3mm and have a brown color when unfed and a red or red-brown color after eating blood from a host.

Fleas are also a typical type of bug of the summer that jumps. They can jump a few times their body size which means they make a quick escape when you try to catch them.

Fleas may enter homes from nearby vegetation. They are likelier to enter homes carried by pests or by humans that have been in contact with infected animals or people carrying fleas.

One of the characteristics of fleas is that they tend to choose a single type of host. Cat fleas and dog fleas are some of the most common in homes, in the summer.

These types of fleas might also bite humans but they are less likely to mate and survive unless they’re on a host specialized in feeding.

Like many other types of bugs that bite and eat blood, fleas can also transmit diseases and they need to be killed immediately when spotted indoors.

When are fleas in season?

Fleas are the most active in the summer but they live throughout the year.

16. Carpet Beetles

Carpet beetle

One of the first types of bugs that you can spot in the season is carpet beetles. These types of bugs are active from late spring to early summer.

You might only notice these bugs until June as their season starts in May.

Some carpet beetles that make it indoors can survive through the summer and even breed indoors.

As their name suggests, they eat carpets and different other types of textile materials made from animal fibers.

They can eat blankets and towels as well.

Unlike fleas, carpet beetles cannot bite. However, they can cause considerable property damage and they need to be eliminated.

Deep cleaning and proper home vacuuming are proven methods of getting rid of these bugs.

When is the season of carpet beetles?

Carpet beetles peak in May and June.

17. Mayflies

Mayfly

Mayflies are present in high numbers in North America alone. There are hundreds of species of mayflies in the US, many active in the summer.

These flying insects are seen looking for food. They eat both plants and various insects.

Some mating characteristics of the species help explain the areas where mayflies are prevalent.

As mosquitoes, mayflies need some type of body of water to lay eggs in. This can be temporary water such as a puddle or a pool.

Permanent bodies of water such as lakes and ponds are highly likely to be breeding grounds for mayflies.

Homes next to bodies of water are likely to be invaded by mayflies at night.

You can identify these flies by their long transparent wings, and yellow or brown coloring.

They can grow to a size of 1.1 inches and they can survive for months.

When is mayflies’ season?

The beginning of the summer marks the season of mayflies.

18. Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Ladybugs might be one of the most beneficial species of bugs seen in the summer. Despite their friendly look, ladybugs are predators.

Furthermore, ladybugs feed on detrimental and highly detrimental bugs such as aphids. They can eat adult aphids as well as their eggs.

Ladybugs are always present in areas with dense vegetation, on farms, or on crops, areas known to attract different types of aphids.

Efficient predation techniques mean ladybugs can eliminate aphids that cover plants and legumes in honeydew in weeks or months.

The Asian Ladybeetle or the Pink Spotted Ladybeetle are among the predatory species most active in the summer.

These types of bugs can fly to areas with aphids for food.

When is ladybugs’ season?

Ladybugs are active through the summer into the fall, until temperatures start to drop.

19. Mosquitoes

Mosquito

Some of the most annoying bugs of the summer are mosquitoes. They prove annoying around homes but they can be highly dangerous in areas around water.

Fans of high humidity, mosquitoes are active during the day and very active during the evening and into the night.

Always found next to bodies of water or in areas with high humidity, mosquitoes multiply in their thousands through the summer.

They remain active until September-October in the warmest years or areas with long summers.

While active in the summer, some types of mosquitoes don’t do as well in direct sunlight. Even more, mosquitoes might even dehydrate and die within a day in direct sunlight if they don’t find moisture or a shaded place to hide.

One of the ideal methods of getting rid of mosquitoes around the house in the summer is to eliminate all standing bodies of water.

Even a small puddle can be an ideal breeding ground for mosquito larvae.

When is mosquito season?

Mosquitoes are active from spring to fall.

20. Millipedes

Millipede

Millipedes are some of the largest species you may encounter in the summer. They like to eat damp or decaying wood, as scavengers.

These types of crawling species can make it indoors to seek out either humidity or food. Most times, millipedes can survive indoors feeding on plants.

They suck the juices out of plants ensuring they don’t dehydrate.

In the absence of damp wood, millipedes can also turn to eat plants while outdoors.

Most millipedes grow up to a size of 4.5 inches. Their large size can make them look threatening when spotted in the house.

Millipedes don’t bite or sting. They can be removed by hand or by using a vacuum as they may multiply in the house.

These bugs can live a long life in damp areas of the house such as the basement. Some species of millipedes feed on ants and spiders in the basement.

When is millipede season?

Millipedes live through the year but they can migrate in the spring or in the fall.

21. Centipedes

House centipede

While highly active in the summer, centipedes might not be as easily spotted as other species based on their nocturnal nature.

This species comes out at night to avoid dehydration but also because much of its prey is also active at night.

For example, cockroaches are nocturnal and they are one of the common foods of centipedes. This species comes out at night to avoid dehydration but also because much of its prey is also active at night.

Some types of moths and even other summertime bugs such as silverfish are also part of the diet of centipedes.

While not specifically active in the summer, this period marks the migration process of centipedes.

They always seek out sheltered living spaces at the end of the summer and at the beginning of the fall.

One of the ways of getting rid of centipedes in the summer is to reduce indoor humidity or outdoor water sources.

The species loves moisture and clearing out all leaves and all organic materials that pile up in the yard ensures there’s no survival spot left for centipedes on your property.

When is the centipede season?

Centipedes lay eggs in the spring and look for food in the summer before migrating to a sheltered location in the fall.

22. Pillbugs

Pillbug

Pill Bugs or Rolly Pollies are a species of bugs that can roll into a ball.

This species feeds on decaying plant matter and it may have a small positive effect on the ecosystem s it increases minerals in the soil.

Found under leaves, logs, and other vegetation outdoors, pillbugs can also enter homes.

These bugs often live under mulch and may be carried indoors on shoes.

Since they don’t bite, pillbugs can be swept or vacuumed.

The gray to brown species may be attracted to light and enter homes through cracks and openings around doors and windows as well.

When is bill bugs season?

Pill bugs are active all year except in the very cold months of the winter.

23. Boxelder Bugs

Boxelder Bug

Boxelder bugs are highly active in the summer. A period from May to June marks an active feeding period.

Female Boxelder Bugs lay eggs starting mid-July.

This is a species of bug that feeds on plants and various seeds. It can make it indoors during the day as the species can rest on walls to absorb sunlight.

High chances of spotting these bugs include gardens with maple trees these bugs feed on without a serious negative impact.

When is boxelder bugs season?

These bugs are most active in July when females lay eggs on trees.

24. Stink Bugs

Stink bug

Stink bugs feed by sucking plant sap. They are found on various flowers, plants, and legumes.

As a serious agricultural pest, stink bugs need to be properly managed.

Identified by their shield-like shape, these bugs can fly indoors for warmth, during the summer. They may also live all their lives outdoors, particularly on crops such as soybean and tomatoes.

Insecticides aren’t always useful against these bugs on crops as they can simply fly away.

In the house, they can be swept away, vacuumed, or removed by hand as they don’t bite.

When is stink bug season? Stink bugs are active through summer and fall when they feed on legumes and when they move indoors for warmth.