we had these all over our house and in the wood pile. We planted mint around the base of the house and they went away. We had them for 10 years and they have been gone now for 3.
Michigan by: Anonymous
Michigan has boxelders everywhere too. they are pests because they eat your (if you have a garden) plants but mostly wood (lke the bark on your trees) git rid of them. Their young are small bright red all over.ALL OVER! ONLY RED! Git rid of 'em!
uh huh by: Anonymous
that is a boxelder.
they are all over illinois.
Boxelder bugs by: Steve
Hey, I'm from Maryland too. Those are boxelder bugs and they breed fast. They literally will become an infestation if you don't take care of it.
If its one or two, no worries but if you see them in groups its just going to get worse. Especially this early on in the season.
Boxelder bugs by: Moni
Michael
You have Boxelder bugs on your house. Welcome to fall! They are a common problem in the Midwest also.
They come off of boxelder (and sometimes maple) trees and gather on the southern warm walls of buildings. They then migrate into the mulch and crevices around the house for the winter. They are well known for also coming into the house. They do not bite or cause any economic problems...just a nuisance. Besides crawling around in the house, their droppings result in red dots on walls and curtains.
Best control if they become a nuisance and come in the house, is to use a small shop vacuum and suck them up, put them in a plastic bag, tie it shut, and dispose of it. :-)
