Concerned About All Those Boxelder Bugs?

This is a sure sign of fall, boxelder bugs on the south side of your house! I don't think I had seen boxelder bugs this year, until a couple days ago. They were all over the brick on the south side of KDHL studios. I even saw them on the south side of my tractor out at the farm. They can sure get irritating if you leave the cab door open and they get inside! While boxelder bogs are a nuisance they are a little unusual. They really do not cause any damage. They do not even bite you!

Claire LaCanne Extension Educator at the Rice and Steele County Extension office said when it gets cooler in the fall the boxelder bugs are trying to get inside someplace warm for the winter. If they do get into your house they will not eat or chew on anything. They will not even reproduce in your house! If you find them in your house just vacuum them up. Plus do what you can to seal up places where they can get into your house!

I wondered why this insect is called boxelder? We used to have a grove of boxelder trees out at the farm. Well, boxelder bugs feed on boxelder trees but they will also feed on maple and ash trees too. They do not really harm trees either so there is no need to even consider an insecticide treatment on any trees. So, just ignore then (if you can) and very soon cold weather will take care of them!