Boxelder Bugs: An Unsuspected Pest

Boxelder Bugs: An Unsuspected Pest

Many insects look so similar that they can be confused for one another upon first glance. The boxelder is commonly thought to be a type of stinkbug or beetle when found in the yard or the home. Boxelders are technically called boxelder bugs, and are in the same family as the stinkbug. So it isn’t too far from the truth to call them by their distant relative’s name. But boxelders are a unique type of bug, and make a grand entrance every spring when they emerge from hibernation to plague our trees once again.

A Boxelder’s Life

The boxelder bug lives a strangely routine life that is naturally continued by every generation. Every season has a different purpose for this bug. Its name comes from the boxelder trees that they live on, but they also enjoy other types of trees. Boxelder bugs are native to the Western part of the U.S. but they can be found all over. They have six legs, two antennae, and a flat oval body with reddish-orange markings. They don’t typically bite, but they can puncture our skin if we get too close without protection. They congregate in groups on the trees that they eat from, and release a pheromone to attract more boxelders to join the party. 

Boxelders spend the summer months looking for the two essentials in an insect’s life: mates and food. Since all boxelders thrive in the warmer months, they will find a potential mate easily. They will also have abundant food. They eat boxelder tree seeds, true to their name, as well as leaves from boxelder, maple, and ash trees. Boxelder bugs are so small and slow eating that they won’t cause excessive damage to these trees, but they will leave behind noticeable holes in the leaves. They also like the fruits of plum and apple trees, which will likewise have small holes in them with the boxelder bugs are finished. 

Since boxelders live, eat, sleep, and mate on or near these trees, it makes sense that they also lay eggs on the trees. These hatch a short two weeks later, which gives the baby boxelders food from their first day out of the eggs. Boxelder bugs live their best lives throughout spring and summer, and don’t stray much from this pattern of life until autumn arrives and signals to them that it’s time to start planning their trip to a warmer place for the winter. 

Home for the Holidays

But back to the seasons discussion. Boxelders, unlike many other types of insects, don’t die off in the winter due to the cold. They actually hibernate, which can be a problem for us when they choose to hibernate in our homes. But more on that issue later. Boxelders congregate in the fall, probably discussing their plan with each other, and go into a warm safe place to hibernate for the winter. When they emerge in the spring, they are very lethargic and don’t move too quickly while they shake off the cold.

Their favorite places to overwinter (live through the winter) are houses, sheds, and garages because they all provide some type of warmth without being too far from the outdoors. Boxelders are attracted to concrete, windows that get a lot of sun, and tall buildings. If your home has all of these in some way, it is a likely target for boxelders. They invade in the fall and leave in the spring when it warms up and they have a source of food with the trees producing leaves again. One amusing fact about this process is that they congregate before physically invading a structure. They will gather in a warm spot, probably to build up their strength before making the journey into their new vacation home. A way to estimate the amount of boxelders that might try to invade your home is to observe the group size in the summer. If there are lots of boxelders in the summer, there will be a large number of them on the move for winter. 

Pest Status: Likely But Non-Dangerous

If you have any of the trees preferred by boxelders that were listed earlier, chances are high that you’ll see these insects in the warmer months of the year. But they tend to stick to the trees for all parts of their life, so you won’t notice them straying too far from the tree. That is, until it starts cooling off and the presence of pests in general seems to dwindle even slightly. This is when they try to get into houses by any means necessary, and can become unwelcome houseguests quicker than you thought possible. One small comfort is that, as stated earlier, boxelders aren’t poisonous and will only pinch us if we physically touch them. So at least they aren’t out for blood, like some other annoyingly ambitious pests. This is partly why they are classified as “nuisance pests.” They’re not dangerous and don’t cause significant damage to plants or houses, so they are more of a nuisance than a threat.

A main issue with boxelders invading is not just the fact that you will have insects in your home that you didn’t invite. It is the liquid that they secrete when scared or threatened, which could happen inadvertently if they get too close to a human or pet. This yellow liquid has a smell and stains basically anything it lands on. Their excrement can also stain surfaces if left for long enough. So if you start finding small yellow spots on your walls, couches, chairs, or carpet, it is likely from boxelders. This is also not dangerous to anyone, but it is annoying to have yellow spots everywhere when you didn’t want that for your color scheme.

There are a few ways to prevent boxelders from choosing your home for a winter stay. Seal any cracks and holes in the house, as well as in screens on doors and windows. These are easy access points for pests of all kinds, so it will cut down on the number of unwelcome pests in general. If the hole in a screen is too big to simply patch up, you may want to replace the whole screen entirely. Cracks in the house can be sealed with caulk, but make sure to do some research before tackling this project if you are unsure of how to proceed. 

If you happen to find boxelders already in your home, don’t panic. They are harmless and easy to get rid of. You can vacuum them up and throw out the bag or empty the canister into a plastic bag and throw that away. If they are in the walls, don’t kill them yourself! Dead boxelders give off a smell that attracts more boxelders to the location, which is a larger problem for you. 

Pest Control Can Box the Boxelder

Although boxelder bugs aren’t dangerous and don’t even cause too much damage on the trees they inhabit, they elevate to pest status when they have a high population in someone’s yard. The problem gets even worse when they invade the actual house before winter sets in, since no one wants a bunch of black bugs living in their home rent-free. Contact our pest control team at any time to learn more about how we can help you with a boxelder, or any pest, problem. The changing of seasons brings about a new round of pests, but that doesn’t mean that you have to live with them in your own home. 

Citations

Boxelder bugs. (n.d.). Pest World. Retrieved on April 14, 2022, from https://www.pestworld.org/pest-guide/occasional-invaders/boxelder-bugs/ 

Boxelder bugs 101. (n.d.). Pest World. Retrieved on April 14, 2022, from https://www.pestworld.org/news-hub/pest-articles/boxelder-bugs-101/ 

Why are there so many boxelder bugs around my home?. (2019, July 8). Griffin Pest Solutions. Retrieved on April 14, 2022, from https://www.griffinpest.com/blog/why-boxelder-bugs/