Are these red and black insects all over your house? Let's learn about the Boxelder Bug!

Has your house suddenly been filled with swarms of small red and black insects crawling along the walls and near the windows? It's a bit creepy and scary, isn't it? Especially on sunny days, when they suddenly appear and fill the house, you think, "What a nuisance." Many people are afraid of these insects, but is this really a big problem? Today, let's talk about this insect called Boxelder.

Who is this boxelder bug?

Simply put, this boxelder is a common, harmless insect. You're probably familiar with stink bugs, which are also in the same family of insects.

They get their name from their main food, the box elder. They live by sucking the sap from these trees. Sometimes, when these trees are gone, they can also damage trees like maples, ash, and fruit trees.

A special thing about their life cycle is that in countries with cold weather, they go into a dormant phase. During that time, they remain motionless. In our country, they are more commonly seen during sunny, dry weather than during the rainy season.

How do you recognize this person exactly?

Not every insect in your home is a boxelder, so it's important to identify it correctly.

They have three life stages - egg, nymph, and adult. We see the adult most often.

• Adult: The underside of a fully grown insect is red. But it is covered by two long black wings. The way these two wings are joined together looks like an 'X' on its back . This is the easiest way to identify it. You can also see several red-orange stripes all over its body. Although they can fly for several miles, they are most often seen in swarms on walls and in cracks in the ground.

• Nymph: They are very small in the pupal or larval stage. Their bodies are almost entirely bright red. They do not have wings at this stage.

A full-grown insect is usually about half an inch long. You might confuse it with a beetle. But the wings of a beetle do not come together like an 'X', but like a straight line.

Is this insect really dangerous? Will it harm us?

Here's the important thing: Boxelder bugs will not cause serious harm to you, your pets, or your home.

"Then do they bite?"

Very rarely. That means they can only bite in self-defense if they feel threatened. But it won't do any real harm. It's not venomous. And they don't have a stinger.

However, even if they don't cause much damage, they can cause some minor annoyances.

Why do they come to our homes? How do we get rid of them?

Boxelder bugs are primarily attracted to heat and water . Imagine a wall in your house that gets really hot on a sunny day... That's where they flock to warm up. Once inside, they may even gather around flower pots inside the house, looking for some water.

There are several ways to get rid of them.

• Use a Vacuum Cleaner: The easiest way is to suck them up with a vacuum cleaner, seal the bag well, and throw it away.
• Sweep and throw away: Sweep gently with a broom, scoop up the dirt in a dustpan, and throw it away outside.
• Soapy water: Mix a little liquid dish soap in a bottle of water and spray the mixture on the area where they are. Or, wipe them off with a cloth soaked in soapy water.
• Use water: If they are on the walls outside your home, you can remove them by spraying water on them with a hose.

Let's also learn about pesticides.

Many insecticides approved for indoor use are not very effective against these insects. If you decide to use pesticides, be sure to read the instructions carefully and wear protective equipment such as a face mask and gloves.

How to prevent it from coming back?

The best thing to do is to prevent them from coming to your home. Try these things to do so.

• Seal holes and cracks: Seal all small holes and cracks in the walls of your home, around window frames, and near doors with silicone or a filler (caulk/sealant).
• Install screens: Install screens on windows and ventilation areas.
• Gaps under doors: Install something like 'door sweeps' to close gaps under doors.
• Clean the area around your home: Keep it clean by removing unwanted leaves, rotten wood, and debris from the walls of your home. These are the best places for them to hide.
• Removing the food source: If you have box elder trees too close to your garden, remove the fruit from those trees as soon as it falls to the ground.

When you do these things, they lose their ways of entering the house and their places to hide.