Box elder bug
Behold, the box elder… the what?
To date, there are probably dozens and dozens of kinds of beetles out there in wilds, probably some of them are enjoying a nice little haven in a tree somewhere in your yard or in your neighbor’s yard. However, not all beetles are as well-known as the popular lady bug, and one of them is the box elder bug.
What is a box elder bug?
Box elder bugs are tiny little insects, wingless and thus seen crawling on the ground or trees instead of flying and buzzing around. They are called box elders because they thrive on the box elder maple, gnawing away and feasting at its seeds and young twigs. If you have a box elder maple in your lawn or yard, or somewhere in your area, then it is very likely that you have box elder bugs as well.
Since box elder maples basically die during winter, box elder beetles need to look for a new place to stay, and it is quite likely that they will come into your house as uninvited holiday visitors and stay there until spring when they can go back to their box elder maple home.
Why the fuss?
Like most other beetles, box elders are pretty harmless and do not pose any immediate threat to you and your property. They do not carry any deadly diseases, not do they harbor any parasites which can give you allergies. They don’t even care about eating your wooden beams and walls, because as was mentioned, they thrive on box elder maples only. If your house or furniture is made of oak or pine, then they’re perfectly safe. In fact, box elder bugs are not known to chew on furniture made of box elder maple, perhaps because they don’t like the taste of varnish or paint.
So what is it about this box elder bug worth discussing?
Bug Poop Everywhere
As mentioned, box elder bugs are harmless creatures, but this does not mean that you can ignore them completely because they can really leave your house a mess with their bug poop.
Box elder poop are tiny little balls that leave red stains everywhere – on your floor, your walls, your furniture, your curtains and drapes – basically everywhere. And given that the holidays is about to come, you wouldn’t want to have your guests asking you what those red stains are on the walls next to your family picture.
As mentioned, box elder beetles are harmless, but this does not mean that you can ignore them (unless you’re okay with bug poop all over your house). To get rid of these critters and prevent them from painting your house red, contact a professional pest control company to help you out. Come holiday dinner, you’d be thankful you did.
