Boxelder Bugs?

[Shanghaisky]

Hello! This is my first post here. I am sure you all can help!

Last Autumn, we relocated from North Carolina to Upstate New York. We are renting a beautiful 1800 Farm House in the lovely countryside. I am planning a container veggie garden on the large south-facing front porch, and we have an incredible (truly, astounding) population of boxelder bugs. They flock to this side of the house as it gets almost entirely uninterrupted sunlight all day, and I am concerned they may be a problem. Nevermind that they are all over the inside of my house (and have over-wintered inside, too.. grrr). Will boxelder bugs be a problem to my veggie garden? Can I plant anything that will drive them away, if so?

Thank you!

[rainbowgardener]

If they are truly box elder bugs, they are a nuisance, but not really a problem for your veggie garden. There is a pretty similar looking milkweed bug, that might be more of an issue:



The box elder bug is a specialized species that feeds almost exclusively on the seeds of Acer species (maples, of which box elder is one). So they won't much bother your garden.

As far as keeping them out of your house, put down a trail of diatomaceous earth all around the perimeter and especially any place you think they might be getting in. This will help prevent them from getting in. You can try spraying them in the house and on the wall where they congregate with a soapy water spray. Put a couple tablespoons of dish soap in a standard hand spray bottle of water shake up and spray them. It only works when sprayed directly on them and has no residual effect.

[Shanghaisky]

Thank you! They are definitely boxelder bugs. They are annoying as all get-out.. stuck in my light fixtures, crawling all over my kitchen, swarming on the basement windows and porch siding. I will see about the DE for keeping them out! Thanks for that!

[john gault]

Thank you! They are definitely boxelder bugs. They are annoying as all get-out.. stuck in my light fixtures, crawling all over my kitchen, swarming on the basement windows and porch siding. I will see about the DE for keeping them out! Thanks for that!

Maybe it's just a seasonal thing? I have a similar issue with these little red beetles this time of year, they're all over the place and even get stuck in my light fixtures and I'm always stepping on them...

But fortunately, it's only this time of year when my Southern Magnolia blooms, then they're gone until next year.

A little trivia: The Southern Magnolia is an ancient tree that predates bees, so the bees never evolved to pollinate the flowers, that's left to the beetles.