Natural Boxelder Bug Exterminator – Oregon and Idaho

Boxelder bugs (Boisea trivittata) are named for their primary host, the boxelder maple tree. Adults are typically dark brown or black in color with red wing veins and markings on the abdomen. Boxelder bugs have been known to cause damage to fruit trees such as apples, peaches, grapes, plums, and even strawberries. They are also known to infest non-fruiting trees including maple and ash. Boxelder bugs seek warm spaces such as houses in colonies of hundreds, or even thousands as cold weather approaches. They congregate in walls, attics, and warm basements, making themselves at home throughout the cold winter months. They have been known to be a nuisance for homeowners, taking up residence in kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, and other human-inhabited spaces. Boxelder bugs give off a strong, offensive odor when disturbed or crushed. Boxelder bugs have been known to bite, using piercing-sucking mouthparts capable of puncturing the skin, causing a slight, but mostly harmless irritation.

Boxelder bugs are sap suckers, penetrating plant tissue with their considerable proboscis and using secretions to make it consumable. They almost exclusively feed on the Acer family of maple trees and vines that include the boxelder maple with its spinning “helicopter” seed pods. Boxelder bugs have also been known to feed on fruit during dry summers. Infestations of boxelder bugs on boxelder trees may cause leaves to yellow and curl or cause spots on stems and new growth. Most trees survive boxelder bug infestations. Damage to grapes, peaches, and other soft fruits is mostly cosmetic, appearing as depressions, sometimes as bruises. While a nuisance, boxelder bugs do relatively little damage to fruit crops, preferring to feed and procreate on the box elder maple tree.