What are the bugs like this time of year?

Don't know. Probably all depends. We spent a mid week in May last year around Florence in the country side and saw just a few flies. No mosquitoes or wasps. Nothing that was bothersome at all.

Here's a prior post on that:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/bugs-in-italy-during-the-summer

We were there (all over Italy) in early June last year and I don;t really remember many bugs....

I think I wrote a similar post on here a while ago, and the feedback was frustratingly polarized. Some seem to say that there's no bugs at all, others say it's awful: close all your windows at night. I don't know what to expect.

We will be in Milan, Venice, and points in between and north (Lake Garda, Dolomites) and I'm wondering what kind of hell I should expect. Mosquitos and me just don't mix.

I think it is dependent in part on the weather. A lot of heat and maybe a lot of bugs. Don't know. When we were in Tuscany in mid May it was very cool and a little rainy so that probably keep the bugs down. All you can do is report experiences and that was our experience. A month later could be completely different but question was about mid-May.

Despite the goal of packing light, a small portion of bug spray is part of my standard travel kit. Remembering to use it can be another thing. The times that I most often do would be before going out in the evening, if weather has been warm. Never encountered a wasp issue.

I don't know what you are used to.
Here in California we have no water so all bugs are dead due to dehydration. You really have to look hard for mosquitoes and generally they are more interested in the water in your glass than your blood.
But when I travel to Texas, Florida, or even NYC I see bugs so big that I have never seen in Italy. You guys in NY have bugs and roaches bigger than the Vespa (which means Wasp in Italian) I drove in Italy. Actually in NY I've seen roaches that I could probably ride like a scooter.
I lived in Florence and Florence sits in a valley that used to be in large part a swamp. The swamps are gone, but the mosquitoes are still there. May is not too bad though.

I know that Florence is always bad. I got bit bad the last time we were there. So this time we are not going to open any window in our hotel room (kind of sad), we have a hotel with air conditioning and I bought the packet of wipes by OFF so that I don't have to carry a bottle or can of bug spray. They sell them at most drug stores or Walmart type stores. Come in a green box 20 individual wipes to a box.

We've been to Tuscany in June -- a few mosquitoes, but not too bad, because the humidity is quite low. Venice in July-- plentiful mosquitoes, and no window screens. You could try to book hotels with A/C so you can sleep with the windows closed. Or slather on mosquito repellant at bedtime!

Probably nobody here can predict whether there will be bugs.
You don't want to end up with a room with no AC and there are bugs.
That would not enhance the quality of your trip.

I was in Venice, Florence, CT, and Rome two years ago at the end of June, and no bugs to speak of. The weather was relatively comfortable with the exception of the last four days in Rome. I live in an area with mosquitoes, to the point that my backyard during the month of August is rather useless due to the bug situation. However, the temperature in winter, the amount of rainfall in spring, and the dampness of it all affects the level of uncomfortableness with the bugs since it impacts their life cycle (so I am told). Last summer was reasonably good due to the Arctic Vortex and its impact. We had one of the coldest Februarys on record this year, so hoping that some of the bugs died off like last year. Maybe take some bug spray with you just in case!

Best to take some packs of OFF wipes with you just in case. Stores in Italy will want to sell you those silly plug-ins, Never worked for me, and they are very expensive. Rip Off.

Get the wipes. They weigh nothing. Had a terrible mosquito problem last year. Rented an apartment, no screens and A/c only in the bedrooms. We bought repellant at a pharmacy, so you could do that also.

OFF wipes work. I like Avon's Skin So Soft - it smells better. An extra glass of wine couldn't hurt either!

Italian mosquitos love me and I am not what to make of that (have never been bitten in any other European country). Personally, I have an allergy to their bites, and they get very large and leave a mark. But my sister other traveling companions are always ok. Repellent is good, and if you do still happen to get bitten, try a little tea tree oil. My friends uses it and it does wonders for the size and duration of her bites.
In other news, I don't know how far north these creatures go, but way down in Palermo last summer, we had a problem with huge "scarafaggio" and they scared the living daylights out of me!!!!!!!!!

I was in Sicily, then Bologna, Ravenna, Florence, Assisi and Orvieto last year, ending on May 15. The only bugs I encountered were tiny spiders (mites?) around the outside of the window in my Florence hotel. Kind of freaked me out . . . there were tons of them and I was terrified to open the window. Later I found out that they are harmless critters.

I am in Roma now. We have been experiencing August heat according to the locals. I've woken up with mosquito bites on my rear, chest area, back of my arms and nose so something was certainly busy while I was asleep. Thankfully, I brought a can of repellant. Killed one just now while laying in bed. Little bleepity bleep.

Jackie (and Joe). Ask your hotel for mosquito repellent. There's a nifty gadget you plug into the wall, keeps the mozzies away and has no odor. Many hotels supply them. If not, ask where you can get them - here they're sold in supermarkets.