For Release October 17, 2000

AGRI-VIEWS
by Chuck Otte, Geary County Extension Agent

I appreciate Boxelder Bugs. I didn’t say I like them, I simply appreciate them. Give Boxelder Bugs a warm sunny afternoon and they’ll throw one heck of a party! You seldom see just one Boxelder Bug, there’s usually hundreds. They know how to have a good time! And it isn’t like they really do any damage. They don’t have chewing mouthparts like crickets. They have a piercing/sucking mouthpart (think of a mosquito) that allows them to suck tree sap. If they do get into your house they aren’t going to chew holes anywhere.

Many people don’t know what a Boxelder Bug is. That’s because they know them as Democrat Bugs. I don’t know where they got this name. I have been in other communities where they were called Republicans so we may be able to draw some inferences from that. Regardless of what you call them, most homeowners consider them a nuisance.

They are one of the true bugs, being closely related to Chinch Bugs, Squash Bugs and Stink Bugs. Young Boxelder Bugs look like smaller versions of the adults but tend to be more orangish red instead of red and black. They feed on boxelder trees as well as other species of maples. But they will also feed on golden-rain trees, oaks, ash, mulberry, honeylocust, lilac, even plants like iris, geraniums, tulip, peony, strawberry, pigweed and crabgrass. Simply cutting down a tree in your yard is not going to make them go away!

Like most of the insects in the true bug order (Hemiptera for all you want to be entomologists), Boxelder Bugs seem to thrive in hot and dry summers. Well, that explains a few things right away, doesn’t it! Like many Hemiptera species, they are fairly easy to kill by direct contact with an insecticide, but they are rather unaffected by the residual activity of insecticides. What this simply means is that you can kill the ones on the side of your house today with an insecticide, but they ones that show up tomorrow will not be killed.

When fall arrives, Boxelder Bugs start looking for a place to spend the winter. They try to find anywhere that is out of the direct winter blast. They’ll crawl under loose bark on trees. They’ll go into any kind of a building, trying to get under the shingles, under boards or inside. Once they get into your house, they’ll be active for several days until they find a good place to settle in for a winter’s nap. Once settled in, they’ll stay there until warmer weather arrives, which can be any time from late January to March. At that time they’ll wake up and try to go back outside to mate and lay eggs.

The first step is to insect proof your house. Caulk cracks and crevices in your house. Make sure that door and window screens fit tight. Clean up clutter and debris from around and beside your house. Do not give them places to hide or ways to get into your home. While a foundation insecticide treatment will help with many insect invaders, it won’t do much for the Boxelder Bugs. If you find them congregating on the outside of your house, the best treatment is probably warm soapy water. Place one gallon of hot tap water in your sprayer and add about one teaspoon of dishwashing soap or insecticidal soap (following label directions). Soak the gathered bugs down and you will be surprised at the results. You can do this as often as you need.

Once they are in your house, a vacuum cleaner may be the best solution. If you vacuum up a lot, you may want to seal up the bag and dispose of it immediately. Be careful not to smash them on walls or curtains because they will leave a nasty stain. As big a nuisance as Boxelder Bugs are, they should go away soon..... until next spring that is.

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