Boxelder Bugs (Maple Bugs)
Characteristics:
- Nymphs: Nymphs are bright red.
- Adult: Adults are black with a few red lines on the body and have red eyes. They are about 10 mm long. They do not bite or eat anything in your home.
Identifying infestations:
- Boxelder beetles on surfaces or in homes: Boxelder bugs may invade your home or garage in fall when they are searching for shelter for the winter.
IPM Toolkit:
- Preventive tools:
- Since boxelder bugs eat the seed pods of boxelder trees (Manitoba Maple trees), remove female boxelder trees from your yard.
- Physical tools:
- Sweep clumps of boxelder bugs into a garbage bag when the congregate in early morning.
- Vacuum clumps of boxelder bugs with your vacuum cleaner (change bag immediately afterwards.)
- Biological tools: Not applicable
- Chemical tools:
- Applications of homemade insecticidal soap can control boxelder infestations.