Subject: What kinda bugs are these
Location: Ohio
September 23, 2012 11:18 am
Yesterday I found a blanket if these bugs on the trunk of the tree in my yard. It was a warm day and it looked as if there was a blanket from the trunk and going up the tree. I did not know about this web site til some one told me so I did not get a picture until today. However it is cooler outside and there is not even an eight of the bug that there were yesterday. Are these bugs harmful to the tree and will the come indoors when cold weather arrives. I am asking because they r all over the one side of my home as well!!
Signature: Patty Janjua
Hi Patty,
We just completed this posting of an Eastern Boxelder Bug aggregation, and we do not want to duplicate information on these insects commonly called Democrat Bugs. They will not harm your tree since they feed on fluids from the seeds. Boxelder Bugs will enter homes, often in great numbers, as the weather begins to cool. They want a place to hibernate and they will not harm you or your home, but they can be a nuisance. Your sighting in Ohio is interesting in light of all the attention your swing state is getting from the presidential candidates.
What can I do to prevent them from coming into my home and once they get in how do I get rid of them?
Patty Janjua
Seal the cracks in your foundation and around windows and doors. This will also help with insulation. Remove them using a vacuum cleaner. Though it deals with a different species, the same theory applies, so you can see the Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet on Multicolored Lady Beetles for instructions on using the vacuum cleaner, which includes: “”Bag ’em!!!” Using a Vacuum Cleaner. An effective way to minimize problems with large numbers of multicolored Asian lady beetles is to use a vacuum cleaner or shop-vac to “bag” the beetles. The beetles can be captured inside a knee-high nylon stocking that has been inserted into the extension hose or wand and secured in place with a rubber band (see Figure 2). As soon as the vacuum cleaner is turned off, be sure to remove the stocking so that the captured beetles cannot escape. As you remove it, the rubber band closes around the stocking, effectively “bagging” the lady beetles. You then can discard the contents of the stocking.”