Black and red boxelder bugs should be gone in a couple weeks

Jonathon Wheeler, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
·2 min read
1

Oct. 16—WATERTOWN — North country residents may have noticed an uptick in black and red bugs on their houses, and maybe even inside their homes.

Despite boxelder bugs being more prevalent than they have been in years, Susan J. Gwise, consumer horticulture educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension, says there is nothing to worry about.

"They don't hurt anything," she said. "They aren't like a termite, they aren't like a cockroach, they don't get into food, they don't spread diseases, they don't bite. They're what we classify as a nuisance insect."

Ms. Gwise said the bugs are native to the area and they grow up in the winter and turn into adults. In the fall, they look for a place to get inside to survive winters.

She said they congregate in large numbers generally on the south side or the warmer side of buildings.

"They can be present in apocalyptic numbers," she said.

People have been calling Ms. Gwise saying that they have the bugs all over their house.

"Some people may have them one year and not have them the next year," she said. "We don't know why they choose where they choose to congregate."

The bugs are attracted to boxelder trees, particularly female boxelder trees, which are also native, as they eat the seeds that are on the female trees, Ms. Gwise said.

She said that this year's call volume about boxelders is the highest she's noted in five years. She is typically getting one phone call a day.

"It's probably due to population dynamics, you know, the populations get super high and then they usually crash for whatever reason," she said.

Ms. Gwise recommends spraying them off houses with a garden hose or pressure washer if they are gathering outside. If they begin to gather inside, she recommends vacuuming them up.

In the ecosystem, Ms. Gwise said they are mainly food for larger insects and birds.

She said there is no need to use insecticides because they will be gone in a couple of weeks once the temperatures start dropping into the mid-20s.

"They will be gone, so if people can wait it out, that's the best option," she said.