What Are the Most Common Insects in Summer?

Summer (June–August) is the peak of insect activity in the UK. Warm temperatures, long daylight hours, and abundant food sources mean insect populations reach their annual maximum. Here are the species you are most likely to encounter.

Butterflies

Summer is prime butterfly season. The species most commonly seen include:

• Large White (Pieris brassicae) — abundant near vegetable gardens
• Small White (Pieris rapae) — similar but smaller; single egg-layer
• Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) — striking red, black and white; migrant from southern Europe
• Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) — long-distance migrant from North Africa
• Peacock (Aglais io) — distinctive eye-spots on reddish-brown wings
• Comma (Polygonia c-album) — ragged wing edges; white comma mark on underside
• Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) — the most abundant grassland butterfly in July
• Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) — orange-brown; found along hedgerows in July–August

Bees and Wasps

Summer is when social wasp colonies reach maximum size — a mature nest can contain 5,000–10,000 workers by August. Late summer is also when workers begin seeking sugary foods, leading to increased encounters with humans at picnics and barbecues.

Bumblebee species active in summer include the buff-tailed bumblebee, white-tailed bumblebee, red-tailed bumblebee, and common carder bee. Solitary bees such as leaf-cutter bees and mason bees are also active.

Beetles

Summer beetles include the rose chafer (metallic green, on flowers), soldier beetles (orange-red, on umbellifers), and the spectacular stag beetle, which flies on warm evenings in June and July in southern England.

Flies

Hoverflies reach peak abundance in July and August. House flies, bluebottles, and greenbottles are also at their most numerous. Crane flies (daddy-long-legs) emerge in large numbers from late August, having spent months as leatherjacket larvae in soil.

Dragonflies and Damselflies

Dragonflies and damselflies peak in June–August around ponds, lakes, and rivers. Common species include the common blue damselfly, blue-tailed damselfly, southern hawker, and common darter.

Night-Flying Insects

Warm summer nights bring moths to lit windows and porch lights. Common species include the large yellow underwing, peppered moth, elephant hawk-moth (spectacular pink and olive green), and the hummingbird hawk-moth — a day-flying moth that hovers at flowers like a tiny hummingbird.

Did you know? “Flying ant day” is not a single day — it can happen multiple times across the UK between July and August. The mass emergence of winged ants occurs when conditions are warm and humid, allowing queens and males from many colonies to mate mid-air simultaneously.