From a past Homes and Gardens piece...
In keeping --quite literally as it turns out --with this spring's theme of things that bug us, Dorothy Dinneen of Gresham asked for help:
"I am wondering if you could tell me what the black bugs are that seem to be mostly on the south side of my house?" she asked in a brief, handwritten note. "When it's sunny out, I have a huge amount of them. When it's cold and overcast, I don't have as many."
She wonders where they go in the meantime and hopes they're not coming into the house.
Not likely, says Jack DeAngelis, an entomologist in Philomath, retired from Oregon State University, whose Internet hive can be found at
www.livingwithbugs.com.
Without seeing the
insects, DeAngelis says the description is classic behavior for boxelder bugs, which are pretty specific to
maple trees, love the warm siding of houses, and can "come out almost any time," he says.
Boxelders, named after the
maple tree they prefer (as well as silver
maple, among other varieties), are sometimes called
maple bugs because of their penchant for laying eggs in those trees. They're about half an inch long, dark gray and have red markings on their backs. You've probably seen them crawling around, because they pay little attention to potential danger.
They are totally harmless, if somewhat intimidating in the large numbers Dinneen and other homeowners have witnessed.
Only one generation occurs each year, after wintering adults head for the
maples to lay eggs. Larvae eat the
maple leaves.
Those seen in the spring are adults about to lay eggs, their last event in life. No eggs are deposited on the inside or outside of homes.
Nymphs (baby bugs) develop over the summer, then look for a hiding spot in the fall, usually the south side of a heavily barked tree or (tah-dah) the siding of your nice, warm home.
If you cannot stand having them around --and that's understandable --take some permanent precautions this summer by removing
maples from near the house.
Then make sure your screens and caulking are sealed and repaired.
"They don't do any damage, they're just a nuisance," DeAngelis says. "Thousands of
insects on the side of your house can really freak people out."
Bugs inside the house can be swatted or vacuumed, he says. "Don't make matters worse by spraying insecticide in the house."
Outside, the solution is simple.
"Spray them with a mild soap solution," DeAngelis recommends. His Web site suggests either a mild solution of laundry soap applied with a hose-end sprayer or insecticidal soap from a garden sprayer.
Then, as long as you're out there with the soap and water, continue the job by cleaning the siding.
"There's some evidence that they leave behind a scent that attracts other boxelder bugs," DeAngelis says.
All of these suggestions, by the way, also apply to another spring bug --the multicolored Asian ladybug, or lady beetle.
This little lady is still exploding in nearly every state and is alternately bane and blessing. It loves to eat aphids, which we love for it to eat.
Unfortunately, it also loves to cluster by the thousands in our homes.
DeAngelis says the best control is either a broom and dustpan or a vacuum. Again, indiscriminate spraying of insecticides is never a good idea, in spite of all the reassurance from the makers of Raid, et al.
They're also easily killed by spraying with soapy water, but not everyone is going to be as thrilled about that option inside the house.
One last little reminder, though, from DeAngelis:
Be certain not to leave the vacuum bags containing ladybugs lying around.
No, they're not likely to crawl out --well, maybe a few will.
But they're mostly going to die, and dead
insects tend to decay and decompose. Which is guaranteed to bug you.
Bugs...I need to commit genocide
GSD
Linear Mode
