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Outdoor Insects
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Boxelder Bugs
by Dennis M. Ferraro Extension Educator
Douglas/Sarpy Extension Unit
These small bugs, approximately 1/4 inch long, are black with red
coloration under the wings. They appear in great numbers on the
south, west and east sides of homes. After the first hard frost,
boxelder bugs move from their normal homes, soft maple and boxelder
trees, to houses. They congregate on warm walls, and as temperatures
fall they seek warmer areas inside the home. They will overwinter
inside walls, and may come into the house on warm winter days.
Boxelder bugs won't reproduce indoors.
These insects don't harm anything, but can be an aesthetic nuisance.
Because boxelder bugs have waxy coatings and don't groom themselves,
most residue insecticides have little effect on them. Contact
insecticides, including soap solutions, will easily eradicate them
however. Outside the home, a five-foot band of insecticide provides
a barrier that helps keep boxelder bugs from moving into the house.
Inside the home, removing the bugs with a vacuum cleaner is the best
control. Here are four types of these beetles found in this area.
Most are less than 1/4 inch in diameter and look like small, black
half circles. A few have cream-or rust-colored blotches. The beetle
stage, however, is seen less frequently than the immature worm stage
of the insect. The worm is cream colored with dark rings, and about
1/8 inch long. It is carrot shaped and has many hairs growing from
the end of the body.
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