Box elder bug

This bug is concerning 1/2 inch long and 1/3 as wide. It is black with three red lines on the thorax, a red line along each side, and a red line on each division. The wings lie flat on the back when at relax. The young nymphs are red and gray. The population of bugs may number into the thousands.These coreid bugs feed more often than not on box-elder trees. They pass the winter in groups in a number of dry spot, such as under a porch or inside a house. They can be prohibited by spraying.

Box elder bugs usually feed on the leaves, flowers, and seed pods of the box elder tree or silver maple. Large numbers of box elder bugs are typically on the female, or pod-bearing, tree. These insects feed on male box elder trees and other trees and plants, other than they usually do not build up to such large numbers. The adults look for a place to over winter which brings them into houses anywhere they conceal in small cracks and crevices in walls, door and window casings, attics, and around the foundation. Throughout warm days in winter and early spring they come out and disperse through the house. They are mainly a nuisance as they crawl or fly about in the rooms.