Boxelder Bug Identification & Prevention

What Are Boxelder Bugs?

If boxelder bugs decide to move onto your Ogen area property, it will be fairly easy for you to spot them. They are oval-shaped with long antennae. Their bodies are mostly black, with orange stripes on the edge of their wings and three additional orange stripes behind their head. These insects feed on the juices of plant stems and leaves using their special piercing/sucking mouthparts. As their name suggests, these insects spend most of their time feeding on boxelder trees.

Are Boxelder Bugs Dangerous?

Unlike other pests like termites or mice, boxelder bugs don't pose any significant danger to the structures of our homes. They are also not a health threat like mosquitoes or cockroaches.

Boxelder bugs are mainly nuisance pests. They live mostly outdoors but do have a habit of moving into houses, garages, and other outbuildings to overwinter. In our homes, boxelder bugs can stain surfaces with their excrement. Other problems they pose include creating an unpleasant odor when squished or disturbed, and if they die behind your walls, their decaying bodies will attract other scavenging insects.

Boxelder bugs live outside on boxelder trees and some other seed-bearing trees. If you have these types of trees on or near your property, you will likely experience problems with these insects.

In the late fall, when temperatures begin to drop, boxelder bugs migrate to areas of warmth. Our Utah homes' sunny exteriors often provide them the heat they are looking for! As they crawl along a home's exterior, they move indoors through openings they discover. The biggest problem with boxelder bugs is that it usually isn't just one or two that find their way inside, but rather hundreds or more.

Where Will I Find Boxelder Bugs?

Boxelder bugs prefer to live in dry areas that provide them with safe shelter. When these insects move into our homes to overwinter, they gather in attics, wall voids, and under floors. They remain hidden during the colder winter months to avoid the cold temperatures, but in the spring, they emerge from their hideouts and move back outside to continue their life cycle.

While boxelder bugs mostly remain hidden during the winter months on warm, sunny days, they may emerge from their overwintering spots and gather around your windows.