What is a Boxelder Bug?
The boxelder bug is found across the US and Canada and wherever boxelder trees are found. Structures that are near a female boxelder tree can be inundated with these bugs in the fall. Both the adult bugs and the nymphs feed on seed pods, leaves, and flowers of the female boxelder tree or sometimes female silver maple trees.
Boxelder bugs are another of the fall-invading pests that enter structures looking for protective over-wintering sites. They can fly a couple of blocks from their host tree to enter homes through gaps around windows, vents, rooflines, etc. Once inside boxelder bugs may wander until the weather gets colder, at which time they will find a place to settle in (often in attics, wall voids or ceiling voids) as they look for a way to get back outside.
Boxelder bugs can sometimes be controlled with pesticide applications in the early fall when adult bugs cluster on lower tree trunks or on sunny foundation walls before moving into overwintering sites. As with other fall-invading insects, cleaning up, foundation debris (and in this case, boxelder seed pods) and sealing entry points on the structure is important.
STINK BUGS
Brown marmorated stink bugs are an invasive species that look like brown cornflakes with legs and antennas or insects outfitted in a miniature armor. They were accidentally brought to the U,S from Asia, and now are in 44 states. Homeowners should seal cracks and crevices on the outside of your home to prevent them from crawling in. Spraying pesticides outside your home around windows and doors in the fall is the preferred method of control, although not always 100% effective.
Stink bugs don’t pose a health threat to you or your pets. They don’t bite. And they don’t nest or breed inside the house. They just want to hang out inside your home, don’t squish it. It’s going to smell bad.