Lots and Lots of Boxelders

 

                                            Lots and Lots of Boxelders

Everyone is worried about Lantern Flies and rightfully so. They come in large groups and destroy plants and trees. But there are other bugs that come in flocks. We have been having boxelders gathering at our front door this past week. It seems that the bugs like to find sun-warmed places to spend the winter and our front door and the east-facing side of our house welcome the warmth of the morning sun.

I can understand their motivation. As we open our front door, we are embraced by a delightful heat even when the outdoor temperature is cool. So I can’t blame the boxelders for congregating at this spot but I don’t want them here, either. 

They aren’t harmful to humans, yet having so many insects meet us at our door is not exactly a welcome greeting. They take winter refuge on boxelder and ash trees, which we don’t have, and maple trees, which we do. So we have started spraying them with diluted dish soap which was suggested instead of pesticides and we’ve noticed a slowing down of their invasion. I hope they will be gone soon. I hate to be so stern with Mother Nature but sometimes it’s necessary to balance how we live together.

 

A quick insight into boxelder bugs:

https://www.pestworld.org/news-hub/pest-articles/boxelder-bugs-101/