Minnesota's Most Common August Bugs And Why They Appear

If you've begun to notice more spiders, yellowjackets, beetles, and bugs, you aren't imagining things. August is peak bug month for some types, and it's also when other bugs are looking for where they will stay during the winter months. Here are 7 bugs you are seeing more of around your home, and why.

Yellowjackets Are Out & They Seem Aggressive

The University of Minnesota Extension says yellowjacket populations peak during late summer, with individual nests potentially containing as many as 5,000 wasps. Worker wasps that have been around since spring are now joined by large numbers of new adults. But why are they now everywhere?

Their diet is starting to change. Late in the summer months, some yellowjackets become aggressive scavengers looking for sugary foods, including ripe fruit and the food and drinks people are enjoying outside.

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So as you and your family are outside soaking up the sun and enjoying the weather, yellowjackets are on the hunt for sugary foods to help them get through the winter months.

Spiders Are Everywhere, Including Your House

August is peak bug season for some types of insects, which means it's good eating for spiders. The University of Minnesota points out that spiders are beneficial predators that eat large numbers of insects. Some build webs around homes, while hunting spiders may wander inside accidentally. So that giant web that was spun by your front door isn't a bad sign; it's more to let you know that the eating is good.

A Chirping Sound Is Coming From Inside Your House

It could be a smoke detector that needs a new battery...why they start to chirp at 2am is unknown to scientists...but a more likely case is that a cricket got into your basement. Field crickets commonly enter Minnesota homes during late summer and fall. They generally don't cause significant property damage and are considered more of a nuisance than a serious household pest.

If you've got a cricket inside your house, there is some good news, according to the University of Minnesota Extension office: "crickets that enter buildings do not usually lay eggs inside. These crickets normally die by autumn or early winter."

Tiny Unknown Beetles Are Starting To Take Over Your House

Some Minnesotans this time of year experience a type of insect known as a foreign grain beetle. These are tiny, only about 1/12 of an inch long, and are usually nothing more than a nuisance. They tend to be associated with damp areas where fungus is growing. Typically, these bugs are most often spotted around your windows. Thankfully, they aren't harmful and usually die off by October.

Ants Are Coming Inside From What Feels Like Everywhere

The University of Minnesota says thief ants are especially common during mid- to late summer when they enter homes from outdoor nests. Their mating swarms occur from July through September. That means those tiny ants you've suddenly discovered around the kitchen aren't necessarily there because your house is dirty. They're opportunists looking for food.

Mosquitoes Are Still Out & Hungry

August is still peak mosquito season, and it's a good time to check around your home for any containers that are holding standing water, although with the dry conditions we have been having, you might not have any.

Flies Are Getting Ready For A Seasonal Change

Flies might be the worst right now, especially deer flies where I live. The University of Minnesota notes that some flies begin looking for warm places to hide for winter during late summer and fall. That's another reason you're likely to see insects congregating around sunny windows and exterior walls.

It's Less About Your Home & More About The End For Insects

August is basically bug season's grand finale in Minnesota. Some insects are reaching their peak numbers, some are desperately looking for food before winter, and others are starting to think about finding shelter.

August is a pretty good time to walk around your house and seal up the little openings you've been ignoring all summer.

Check out the painted murals in Downtown St. Cloud

Gallery Credit: Jim Maurice, Townsquare Media St. Cloud

Sparky Seal

In 2022, Como Park Zoo celebrated the Summer of Sparky with twenty-one custom Sea Lion statues, hand-painted by local artists, placed throughout the Twin Cities, featuring water conservation messaging and weekly events. Now the statues can be seen throughout Como Park Zoo year-round. Check out pictures of some of the Sparkys below.

Gallery Credit: Paul Habstritt