Box Elder Bugs
All About Box Elder Bugs
It is true, box elder bugs are invaders, and they do appreciate indoor living throughout the tough, cold, winter months. The good news is that they do not bite, they do not mate, breed, or multiply during the winter, and they do not eat wood, furniture, or any other expensive human accessories. What box elder bugs do, however, is quite disconcerting to many whom are imposed on by them. They leave an impossible yellow to brown stain wherever their excrement is deposited. Contrary to popular belief, there is no odor left behind by neither the bodily wastes nor death. They congregate for warmth and safety, moving and shifting toward the sunlight and warmth of windows, only to go back into hibernation when the sun moves away from them for the night.
The fight against box elder bugs and their infestations take on more of a preventative nature, and there are several things that you can do to discourage their invasion of your home and yard. Though these insects are named for the trees that they prefer to feed and breed upon, box elder bugs will frequent maples and elm trees as well. There have been reported instances of heavy infestations on lilac and snow ball bushes as well, and spotty reports of them enjoying the branches of poison sumac. If you have any of these trees or bushes in your yard, you may want to check for signs of box elder habit. You are not likely to see any signs of plant damage on these, or any other, plants even where there is infestation. Box elder bugs do little to no damage to the food sources that they visit, and the staining issue is really the only trouble that they are known for.
It doesn’t matter to the box elder bug whether the trees are well established or saplings, they merely gather for the purposes of mating and warmth. You can watch these bugs during the daytime hours of early spring or late fall, when they are most active, move in piles from the shade to the direct sunlight. Trimming those types of trees and bushes common to box elder bugs, or removing them altogether, will lessen the likelihood of home infestation during the fall indoor migration season. Sealing all undue cracks and crevices on the outside of your home and around the exterior of your window casings will dramatically reduce instances of indoor infestation. Should you find box elder bugs inside of your home during the winter and spring seasons, vacuuming them will bring the easiest and least damaging method of control. Squishing them can only make a stained mess of your walls and floors.