What are Those Bugs that Make Noise In The Summer?

If you’ve been listening to the summer orchestra all evening and staying awake the whole night due to constant buzzing, whirring, and chirping, remember that you aren’t alone.

We’ve all encountered such incidents when all we wanted was to enjoy the pleasant summer weather outdoors, only to realize that summer insects aren’t going to let us off that easily or sleep soundly.

While some people find the buzzing noise of summer bugs peaceful, calming, and even meditative, most do get annoyed by the constant high-pitched sounds of insects that make noise at night in the summer.

The constant annoyance of these insects has led homeowners to seek preventative and control tips, but others become curious and has questioned” What are those bugs that make noise in the summer? And most importantly, how do they manage to produce such a high-pitched noise despite being so tiny?

In this blog, you’ll learn what insects make noise at night, mainly during the summer.

Insects That Make Noise at Night in the Summer  

This list on insects that make noise at night in the summer isn’t exhaustive. However, you’ll be given some of the top insects and bugs that are likely to be noisy neighbors.

Cicadas

If you are wondering what are those bugs that make noise in the summer and make it unbearable to sit outside, it’s the cicadas. Some cicada species can produce sounds which are louder than 100 decibels, which is equivalent to the sound of an approaching train. As per National Geographic, the buzzing and clicking sounds of cicadas can affect your hearing too. (1) Yes, that’s pretty shocking but chances of that happening is very low unless your backyard is heavily infested with these insects.

Only male cicadas produce noise and they do so to attract mates. But, sometimes they also make noise to send out distress calls or to ward off other males. While most bugs produce sounds by rubbing their body parts against each other, cicadas have special sound producing organs called tymbals located on their abdomen. These buzzing and clicking insects are harmless to human beings but they can damage your trees by laying their eggs on them.

Crickets

They look exactly like grasshoppers and, just like cicadas, they too produce high sounds, which could be very irritating and harmful too, especially for babies. In their case, only male cricket produces sounds to attract female crickets for mating. They rub their wings against each other to produce the chirping sound.

The wings are serrated, so when rubbed against each other, they produce a high-pitch noise which is similar to what you hear when you rub your nail against a comb. This process is called stridulation.

Interestingly, crickets are nocturnal, so their noise is louder at night. Heavy infestation of the backyard can even make it difficult for you to sleep. They prefer warm weather; the warmer it is outside, the more they sing.

Although crickets are recognized among insects that make noise at night in the summer, they aren’t dangerous. They do make noise, but their presence is more of a nuisance.

Katydids

Popularly known as bush crickets, these male insects too sing when they are after the ladies. These insects have a bulky bright green appearance, but they are not able to fly high or fly to long distances. They start singing during the dusk until late into the night.

Interestingly, male katydids sing in a chorus which is a unique quality of this insect. They synchronize their songs and create a pulsating music that, years ago, used to scare away the travelers. This is because being green in color and resembling a leaf, they are hardly seen but they are loud enough to be heard. They too make their sound by rubbing their wings against each other. Their music often feels as if someone is repeatedly pronouncing ‘katy did’, which is why they got their name.    

Katydids sing loudly when the temperature is high and as soon as the temperature drops, their volume drops too. They can nibble down the leaves of your garden plants but usually they do not cause much damage unless they have heavily populated your garden.

Grasshoppers

Our list of ‘what are those bugs that make noise in the summer’ will be incomplete without mentioning grasshoppers, the cousins of crickets and katydids. They too sing to attract females as well as to ward off competitors. Unlike crickets and katydids, grasshoppers make noise by rubbing their hind legs against their forewings. The hind legs have a row of pegs on the inner side. When rubbed against the wings, they produce a vibrating sound. A few species of grasshoppers, however, make noise by just snapping their hind wings rapidly, which produces a significantly different crackling sound.

But, you will be surprised to know that our ears are incapable of hearing most of the grasshopper noise, which is why we are not really bothered about their presence.

Bees

The bee is another summer insect notorious for their intense buzzing noise. Many people, however, find the buzzing sound pleasant and meditative. Unlike other noisy summer insects, bees do not produce sounds by rubbing their body parts together. Rather, the noise is created by the vibrations that are generated due to the rapid beating of the wings. An interesting part of this sound-producing summer insect is that the larger the bee is, the slower the wings will beat and the lower will be the pitch of the sound. So, smaller bees are noisier than larger bees.

Unlike other bugs that make noise in summer only to attract mates, bees buzz for various other reasons. When they buzz around a flower, the pollens get attached to their bodies, which are then transmitted to other flowers, causing pollination. They buzz while they patrol the flower patches against other bees and bugs.

And, they buzz when they are threatened. The buzzing sound of the bees is not limited to dusky and dark hours of the day. You can hear it any time when they are busy working in your garden.

If you’re not sure this article on “what are those bugs that make noise in the summer” assisted with your concern, please send us a message and we’ll work to help identify the problem.

Another option is to simply adapt to these insects, especially if they aren’t harmful to your existence. If you are afraid of them coming indoors, here are some things you can do.