I can understand their motivation. As we open our front door, we are embraced by a delightful heat even when the outdoor temperature is cool. So I can’t blame the boxelders for congregating at this spot but I don’t want them here, either.
They aren’t harmful to humans, yet having so many insects meet us at our door is not exactly a welcome greeting. They take winter refuge on boxelder and ash trees, which we don’t have, and maple trees, which we do. So we have started spraying them with diluted dish soap which was suggested instead of pesticides and we’ve noticed a slowing down of their invasion. I hope they will be gone soon. I hate to be so stern with Mother Nature but sometimes it’s necessary to balance how we live together.
A quick insight into boxelder bugs:
https://www.pestworld.org/news-hub/pest-articles/boxelder-bugs-101/
Quick facts
- Boxelder bugs like warm areas and are attracted to buildings with a lot of southern or western exposure.
- The best time to control them is in the fall and is most effective by sealing openings and the timely use of insecticides
- They normally do not cause property damage but they can potentially stain surfaces.
- Once they are indoors, the only practical control is physical removal.
- They are not a serious problem every year.
Boxelder bugs (Boisea trivittatus) are a nuisance because they enter homes and other buildings, often in large numbers. You might not notice them during summer, but they can become an issue when they try to move into homes during fall to find a warm place to hide for winter.
Ferida Wolff is author of 19 books for children and three essay books for adults. Her essays appear in anthologies, newspapers and magazines. She is a frequent contributor to the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series. Her picture book IS A WORRY WORRYING YOU? coauthored with Harriet May Savitz (Tanglewood Books) is pertinent to our current times. Her latest book RACHEL'S ROSES (A Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable Title) is an historical mid-grade novel.
