Subject: What is this bug?
Geographic location of the bug: Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Date: 02/26/2018
Time: 09:04 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: There were many of these bugs last summer. I’ve never seen them before. They were near my blazing stars, wild geraniums, clematis and lilies. They are not the same as the bugs that attacked my lilies the year before.
How you want your letter signed: Dying to know.
Firebug
Dear Dying to know,
This sure looks to us like a European Firebug, Pyrrhocoris apterus, a species that has been introduced to North America, but according to BugGuide, there are only reports from Utah. If it has also become established in Canada, you should probably notify your local agricultural agency.
I like ThisRelated posts:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination
Location: Brampton, Ontario, Canada
I also have tons of these pop up recently. I also live in Brampton. What is the best authority to notify?
We just verified on iNaturalist that Firebugs have indeed been reported from Ontario. Try reporting to the Invasive Species Centre.
I live in Brampton and also have firebugs in my garden. First year I have ever seen these
We’ve seen swarms of them on trees in Mississauga.
I live in Downsview. I just saw thousands of these bugs in my front garden while cleaning today. Is there any way of controlling these bugs naturally as I have 2 cats.
I just saw one today in Vaughan.
I have many in and around my garden. How do you get rid of them? We are in Etobicoke.
I noticed a firebug while walking in the Keele/finch neighbourhood in Downsview today. It caught my attention. What do they feed on?
We had them late summer last year in University Heights, Toronto.
And my husband has seen them this year already.
I’ve been dealing with Firebugs in my garden for about five years. They are attracted to my Rose of Sharon (Mallow family) and the Basswood / Linden tree (Tilia family) on my property. I would step on them whenever I saw them. I have pollinator friendly gardens, so I don’t want to spray anything harmful to any insects. I’ve been picking the Firebugs with long tweezers and depositing them into a jar of dish soapy water. I’ve picked about 100 so far and not seeing any other adults the past couple of days. I’m hoping I can break the cycle.