Western Boxelder Bug

Bug Identity
Location: Portland Oregon
February 9, 2012 1:35 am
This but is found in Portland Oregon in my back yard. There are a # of Pine Trees in my yard. There are a ton of them right now and probably will be through summer.
Signature: Todd Davidson

Hi Todd,
This is a Western Boxelder Bug, Boisea rubrolineata, a species that is known to congregate in large aggregations and they are known to enter homes to hibernate when weather cools.  We don’t believe they have any interest in your pine trees, but they do feed on the seeds of maple and boxelder.  BugGuide lists the food as:  “hosts: Acer grandifolium (Bigleaf Maple), A. negundo (Boxelder), A. saccharinum (Silver Maple), Koelreuteria paniculata (Goldenrain Tree), and Sapindus saponaria (Western Soapberry)(1)  Flowers and young seeds are preferred, so female trees often support larger populations; may also feed on foliage, on sap seeping from wounds on branches/trunks, and on fallen seeds. They will sometimes feed on trees of the Rose Family (Malus, Pyrus, Prunus, etc.) and cause minor damage to commercial fruit (rarely). They are recorded to feed on plants as diverse as Grass, Alfalfa, and Potatoes. It is even common to see them gathered and sucking fluids from other substances such as discarded human food, smashed insects, etc.”