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Boxelder Bugs
- Boxelder bugs can cause more aggravation than almost any other pest! -
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Summary: Boxelder bugs invade homes in the fall looking for a place to spend the winter. Bugs that get into wall voids and attics may enter into the living space during winter. The key to combating this invasion is to prevent access to overwintering sites in the fall.
Jack DeAngelis, PhD
OSU Ext. Entomologist (ret.)
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How to identify and get rid of boxelder bugs
 Boxelder bugs, sometimes called maple bugs, are medium size insects about 1/2" long, dark grey with red markings on their back (see photo right). These otherwise harmless insects can become an extreme nuisance because of their tendency to congregate in large numbers on houses in the fall. If the congregating bugs gain entry to walls or attics they can become a problem all winter as they find their way into living spaces.
Life history
There is only one generation of these insects per year. Eggs are laid on maple leaves (boxelder, or box elder, is a type of maple tree) in early summer and young boxelder bugs develop there throughout the summer, without harming the trees. Young bugs resemble adults except they are more red in color and lack wings.
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Boxelder bug (about 1/2 inch long). Note the red markings around the dark grey wings. Common misspellings and misnomers: boxelder beetles, box elder bugs (beetles), stink bugs.
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In the fall adult bugs leave the maple trees in search of protected places to spend winter months. Large numbers may congregate on trees, and nearby houses, and cause a great deal of concern from affected homeowners. In spring the adults fly off to find maple trees on which to lay eggs to begin the cycle all over agin. Eggs are not laid on houses, inside or out (see Life History of Boxelder Bugs)
Boxelder bug control on houses
The best way to prevent problems with boxelder bugs is to discourage aggregation in the fall and control bugs that manage to find ways into exterior walls and attics. Homeowners can do these treatments themselves with low toxicity botanical insecticides and dusts (see How to Manage Boxelder Bug Infestations Around Your Home).
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Mission: To provide accurate, up-to-date and unbiased information for solving common insect and mite problems around your home, business and landscape using least-toxic methods.
Jack DeAngelis, Ph.D.
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