Detailed information on Western Boxelder Bug (Boisea rubrolineatus)

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psychw2

(Pat) Kennewick, WA (Zone 5b) | June 2015 | Negative

OK, after reading the above comments, NOW I know why our property is thick with these things! The maple seeds! I'm going to go and get a rack and do the best I can to clean up the seeds and hope I can discourage some of the bugs by removing their food.

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schain

Ellinwood, KS | January 2011 | Negative

These little creatures covered the sunny side of my house in the summer and even invaded the house. I woke to find them crawling on me at night. Two years in a row a late frost killed the blossoms and thus the seeds on the silver maple in my yard. No seeds - no bugs. To get rid of the bugs either get rid of the host tree or rake, bag and dispose of every maple or box elder seed in the yard. I was fortunate enough to be able to sell the house and leave the problem to the new owner.

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LimerickRanch

Mokelumne Hill, CA | September 2010 | Negative

Golden Rain Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata) fosters a swarming plague of these bugs. They eat everything, even California native redbud seedlings, California fuschia, roses, iris, etc. They crawl up your legs and arms if you attempt to sit or work around them. They attract & support a huge mouse population, and both invade the house. They leave behind tarry streaks on walls and windows. Limited success with ground spraying of Permethrin. Wood Ash discouraged them from rockwork as long as it was dry. A real nightmare.

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ChrisDOrlando

Orlando, FL (Zone 9b) | May 2010 | Negative

I have been battling these buggers for a few years now with Triazicide. The type I have are very red backed when young without any sign of the black wings. The wings develop later. These awful things really don't seem to be harming any of my plants a great deal, except, they do congregate on my Night Blooming Jasmine & now it has holes on the lower leaves. The bugs are coming from another yard that abutts mine, and in the 25 years my family has owned this property, the owners of this other yard have never cleaned-up the property or sprayed for bugs or even attempted to kill off their rat population. It's an Absolute Jungle! Oh, & a junk collector of mostly metal. Their yard is covered by a full canopy of many types of trees & these bugs are breeding there & then coming to my yard fo... read more

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Dedda

Petersburg, VA (Zone 7a) | June 2009 | Negative

we bought an old house..some bugs on the outside of the house in a cluster..no big deal (did not know what they were)....ha!
5 years later they INVADE the house in the winter,they cover the maple trees out back, are in the lawn, and today I noted the did damage to one of my orchids -
many 'clusters' on a brassavola cross,this plant has very THICK leaves.... once rinsed off, discovered chewed tiny pits, turning brown..
HARMLESS?
also saw them chewing on the cadaver of a small baby bird.
my son just updated me.. 3 total dead baby robins out ot the maple tree.. I wonder, did they drive them out of the nest :( - death to these terrorist bugs!

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Joesgirl

Stockton, CA | September 2008 | Neutral

My neighbor and I have TONS of these little guys from late spring through mid summer, mostly in places where they can hide under rocks or thick foliage. There are no boxelder plants in the area but I've heard that they will eat maple seeds which are in abundance from my neighbors tree. They don't seem to bother or harm anything and don't invade the house so we just let them be.

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kennedyh

(Zone 10a) | August 2006 | Neutral

This bug was previously known as 'Leptocoris rubrolineatus'

Western Boxelder Bug

Boisea rubrolineatus

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