States Wildlife
Menu

Massachusetts Bugs and Insects That Sting or Bite

Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.

On this page
  1. Which insects can hurt you
  2. All 4 insects
  3. When they are active
  4. If you are bitten or stung
  5. About this list
  6. Sources

This page lists 4 insects: 1 from Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences's Mass DPH Mosquito-borne Diseases; MDAR spotted lanternfly update; UMass Extension Landscape fact sheet: Yellowjackets and 3 named in other official sources. 2 are nonnative.

Not every species: no complete official list of Massachusetts insects exists, so this page covers the ones state and Extension sources name. How lists are built.

Which insects can hurt you

Official sources single out these insects in Massachusetts, in their own words:

All 4 insects

From A to Z. Do not handle them.

Eastern yellowjacket
Photo: Katja Schulz · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Eastern yellowjacket

Vespula maculifrons

Not stated

Venom
No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
German yellowjacket
Photo: Flocci Nivis · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

German yellowjacket

Vespula germanica

Not stated Nonnative

Venom
No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
Spotted lanternfly
Photo: Isaac Caswell · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

Spotted lanternfly

Not stated Invasive

Venom
No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
Where in Massachusetts
More than 50 cities and towns across nine counties (as of 8/27/2025) MDAR

When insects are active in Massachusetts

Records of insects in Massachusetts peak in June to August. They show when people record insects, not how many there are (about month bars).

98,876 records of insects in Massachusetts by month (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records).

If you are bitten or stung

Call 911 or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 right away. Poison Help connects you to your local poison center, any time of day.

Official advice from Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences:

About this list

The species list comes from Mass DPH Mosquito-borne Diseases; MDAR spotted lanternfly update; UMass Extension Landscape fact sheet: Yellowjackets (Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences, see each source). 3 more entries come from other official sources named on each card.

Venom labels come only from official sources and link to them; "Not stated" never means harmless. How labels work.

"Nonnative" and "Invasive" follow the wording of the source list. See invasive species in Massachusetts.

Sources

  1. Frequently asked questions about rattlesnakes in MA. Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife). archived copy, captured June 18, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
  2. Mosquito-borne Diseases. Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences. archived copy, captured September 6, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (2)
    “West Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE or ‘Triple E’) are viruses that occur in Massachusetts and can cause illness ranging from a mild fever to more serious disease like encephalitis or meningitis.”
    “Current WNV and EEE activity and risk maps (June – October)”
  3. State Agricultural Officials Provide Update About Spotted Lanternfly in Massachusetts. Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR). archived copy, captured May 16, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
  4. Landscape: Yellowjackets (fact sheet). UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst. archived copy, captured January 15, 2025; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “Yellowjacket colonies on private property can be a serious health and safety risk for individuals with allergies to wasp, bee, or hornet stings.”
  5. Tick-borne Diseases. Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences. archived copy, captured September 30, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “Tick-borne illnesses can be very severe and taking steps to avoid tick bites is important.”
  6. GBIF.org occurrence records, human observations licensed CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0 only, accessed November 3, 2026. The datasets behind these counts are listed on our Sources page.