Buzz Off: How to Identify Common Flying Pests in Massachusetts

When August rolls around, it’s time to savor those last sweet weeks of summer. But the heat and sunshine also bring out a surge in dangerous summer pests. Many bite, others sting, and some just won’t leave you alone.

Do you know what’s buzzing around your yard? From aggressive yellow jackets to disease-carrying mosquitoes, here’s how to spot the most common flying pests in Massachusetts this month.

How to Identify 5 Common Flying Pests

When identifying common flying pests, focus on their size, shape, color, behavior, and nesting habits.

Summer Stingers You’ll Want to Avoid

Yellow Jackets

• Appearance: Bright yellow and black stripes, compact bodies.
• Behavior: Highly aggressive in late summer. Often nest underground, in wall voids, or in shrubs.
• Risk-level: High — painful stings and allergic reactions
• Pro-tip: If you see them swarming near a structure or bush, keep your distance and call a professional.

Want to dig deeper into yellow jackets? This post will help you better spot yellow jacket nests.

Hornets

• Appearance: Larger than yellow jackets; bald-faced hornets are black with white markings.
• Behavior: Build large paper nests high in trees or on buildings. Defend their nests aggressively.
• Risk-level: High — multiple stings possible
• Pro-tip: Avoid disturbing their nests.

Paper Wasps

• Appearance: Slender bodies, long legs, brownish with yellow or reddish markings.
• Behavior: Build umbrella-shaped paper nests under eaves, decks, or in branches.
• Risk-level: Moderate — sting if threatened
• Pro-tip: Watch for small nests early in the season before they expand.

Summer Biters and Nuisance Flyers

Mosquito

• Appearance: Small, delicate, long-legged, with a distinctive high-pitched buzz.
• Behavior: Most likely to bite at dawn and dusk. Breed in places like bird baths, gutters, and puddles.
• Risk-level: High — disease risk
• Pro-tip: Remove standing water to reduce breeding sites.

Cluster Flies

• Appearance: Larger and slower than houseflies, dark gray with golden hairs on their thorax.
• Behavior: Gather in large groups, sunning themselves on sunny walls or windows in the late summer.
• Risk-level: Low — nuisance only.
• Pro-tip: Seal up cracks around windows to prevent a bigger fall infestation inside your home.

Wondering if it’s a housefly or a cluster fly? Here’s a helpful fly identification chart for homeowners.

DIY or Call a Pro? When to Handle It Yourself

DIY may work if:

• You have only a few nuisance flies or mosquitoes
• You spot a small wasp nest early in the spring (and can reach it safely)
• You want to use repellents or traps for short-term relief

Call a professional if:

• Pests are aggressive or swarming near high-traffic areas
• The nest is large, hard to reach, or inside a wall
• You’re dealing with problems despite DIY efforts
• You or your family members are allergic to stings