red shouldered bugs?
Location: central oklahoma
January 26, 2011 7:29 pm
We are buying a house and these bugs are all over the north side of the house and the sheds outside in the yard. The house sits on 2 acres, though it is right in town and off the highway. We noticed them in Jan while doing the inspection and the real estate agent said the bugs were there when she sold the house to the previous couple 6 years ago and while they are really bad outside they usually don’t come inside. They are starting to become a problem in the dining room which is the room along the north side of the house. Any help?
Signature: Pestered home buyer
Dear Pestered home buyer,
We do not give extermination advice. While they may be a nuisance indoors, Red Shoulder Bugs are benign. Anyone purchasing a house of two acres of property is going to find a thriving ecosystem of insects and other creatures that were there first. Red Shoulder Bugs can become quite plentiful if one of their host plants is nearby. According to BugGuide, Red Shouldered Bugs are found in “Yards, gardens, riparian areas, and other areas, in association with host plants. Often in large aggregations to feed on leaking tree sap, other dead smashed insects, or seeds that have dropped to the ground from trees overhead. Also forming aggregations in winter to hibernate, often in association with human residences.” BugGuide identifies the following host plants: “feeds on a variety of plants but prefers balloonvine (Cardiospermum spp.; Sapindaceae) in so. FL and other Sapindaceae, Acer spp. (Aceraceae or Sapindaceae), Ficus spp. (Moraceae), and Althaea spp. (Malvaceae). In some areas the bugs are observed feeding so often on goldenrain tree seeds (Koelreuteria, Sapindaceae).” Perhaps a maple or goldenrain tree were planted too close to the house. Weather proofing the house might also reduce the number of indoor visitors because Red Shouldered Bugs are a species that hibernates in sheltered areas in colder climates. This just might be a deal breaker in the home sale transaction.