Garden Mastery Tips
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April 2009 |
Box-elder Bug
Photo courtesy of Bruce Marliln, Cirrus Digital Imaging.
The warm early days of spring can awaken the Western Box-elder bugs, causing great numbers to appear in your yard or more particularly against the outside walls of your house.
During the winter, the box-elder bugs have been in hibernation. In early spring, the adult bugs lay their eggs and the nymphs emerge in a few days. In the Pacific Northwest, the bugs feed mostly on silver maple or ash trees. They may also feed on seed-bearing plants such as the female box-elder trees. While the days are still somewhat cool, they may attempt to get into your house for warmth. It’s as if they have suddenly gone wild – they appear in small cracks and crevices in walls. They’re on doors and window casings. They are in the attic, around the foundation and they cover the sunny side of outside walls. The questions arises as to what damage do they do?
Leptocoris rubrolineatus Barber, the Western box-elder bug belongs to a family of scentless plant bugs. It belongs to the order Hemiptera, meaning half-winged. They are native to Washington where they can be found in great numbers in both spring and fall. The adult is a handsome slim one-half inch long bug. The bug is black with red lines on it. The young nymphs are red and gray.
While the box-elder bug can be a destructive orchard pest, it is only a nuisance in residences. There is nothing it wants to eat in your house. While they are capable of biting, they really don’t have a taste for people. They are not poisonous, are not interested in your houseplants, your friends, pets or family. They are clean bugs, do not carry disease, will not reproduce inside your house, and only stink when squashed. But, as with most organisms, what goes in comes out. When a box-elder bug poops on your draperies and walls, the spots of excrement can be difficult to remove.
Once box-elder bugs are found, the best option is to physically remove them with a vacuum or a broom and dust pan. If they are close to entrances, an insecticide may be required to prevent their entrance into a home. Inside homes, insecticides are of limited value and are not usually suggested. When they do get into a home, they do not live indoors more than a few days.
Again, the best way to reclaim your house is to get out the vacuum. Turn it on and vacuum those box-elder bugs right up. You usually want to do this with a vacuum that has a bag because dead bugs are going to stink. Also, the red stripe stains whatever it touches. Keep your sense of humor. Nothing can predict when this is going to happen to you, and nothing you can do will keep it from occurring. Think of it as a bad joke played on you by Mother Nature. You will have great tales to tell your friends and neighbors about the great box-elder invasion.
Resources
Photo courtesy of Bruce Marlin, Cirrus Digital Imaging
Boxelder Bugs. Retrieved 3/19/2009.
Boxelder Bug. Retrieved 3/18/2009.
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