Bugs and spiders in New York

What to watch for in New York

Three ticks are established and well recorded: the blacklegged tick, the American dog tick and the lone star tick, with the brown dog tick established too. The blacklegged tick can spread Lyme disease and several other serious infections, and nymphs peak in late spring and early summer. The lone star tick can spread ehrlichiosis and is linked to alpha-gal syndrome. A tick should come off promptly, and rash or fever afterward is worth watching for.

The northern black widow is established here, so a bite from an adult female is a reason to get medical advice right away. Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 can advise on any bite that worries you. The southern black widow and the brown widow have a few records but are not known to live in New York. For indoor pests, American, German, oriental and brown-banded cockroaches and bed bugs are all Common, and bed bug reports often follow travel or used furniture.

Through the year

Spring

Carpenter bees and black carpenter ants become active, pill bugs and rough sowbugs show up after wet spells, and spotted lanternfly nymphs hatch in late April.

Summer

Lanternfly adults appear in July, European paper wasps and eastern yellowjackets are busy around the outside of the house, and house mosquitoes bite from about June.

Fall

Asian lady beetles, stink bugs and western conifer seed bugs move in, and a few cluster flies may appear from mid-August as they try to find a winter spot.

Winter

Silverfish, webbing clothes moths and house centipedes are found indoors all year, and fall invaders wake on warm days.