Comments for red body beetle with black head/legs ( Boxelder bug nymphs)
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red body beetle with black head/legs ( Boxelder bug nymphs)

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boxelder bugs
by: Moni

Jerry in Ottawa IL.
You can use the soap and water...insecticidal soap is the prefered product as it is made for insect control. These insects do not cause economic damage to trees or houses. They are just a nuisance. If you feel you need to control them you can spray, tho I prefer using a small shop vac and dumping the bugs in a plastic bag, sealing it, then tossing it in the trash if I have a huge pile of the bugs. Usually as long as they stay outside of my house there is no need to do anything.
box elder bugs
by: Jerry in Ottawa IL.

I read some where you can rid your house of box elder bugs outside by spraying them with a mild mix of dishsoap warm water in a hose end sprayer
Box Elder Beetle
by: Gary

In Abilene,Tx these guys congragate on native Soapberry trees too ( china berry).
Boxelder bug nymphs
by: Moni

The photo is not very clear nor very close up but it looks like you have boxelder bug nymphs, which are the young of the boxelder The nymphs of the boxelder bug have what looks like a yellow spot on the center back of the abdomen. Not sure about how many generations of boxelders in Florida. Boxelder bugs do like to congregate together...and they are probably under a boxelder tree or maple.
Does the tree have a maple like leaf, three leaflets to a leaf?...Then it is a boxelder tree.
As expected they feed on boxelder trees, rarely causing any economic problem. They can somtimes be observed feeding on ash, maple, plum, cherry, apple, peach, grape and strawberries, where they can damage the fruit. They are known to be pests in the fall as they accumulate on the sides of homes. They also seem to manage to come inside in the fall also...which is a nuisance. The time spent in or on our homes they are not causing a problem.
If these are outside then you really have no problem. When they become a problem in our homes here in the North we just vacuum them to get rid of them.
Let me know if you want more information.

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