Identification:  Adult Boxelder Bugs (BEB's) are approximately 1/2 inch long and black with red lines down their back.  The nymphs (young BEB's) are wingless and display much more red than adults.

Habitat::  BEB's cluster on box elder trees, and may also be found on maples, ashes and other similar trees and shrubs.

Food:  BEB's feed on the sap from these trees.  They do not feed or breed indoors.

Life Cycle:  BEB's lay their eggs on the leaves of infested trees and shrubs from mid-summer through late fall.  When hatched, these nymphs feed on the sap until they become able to fly.

Overwintering:  Starting around September through mid-November they seek suitable structures, such as homes and other buildings, in which they overwinter, gathering in large numbers and clusters.  Common overwintering sites include cracks and crevices around window and door frames, porches, garages, beneath exterior siding, inside wall voids, crawl spaces attics and soffits.

Spring Activity:  As temperatures start to warm in late winter and spring, the hibernating box elders again become active, looking to escape to their natural habitat and become a nuisance to homeowners.  They are attracted to light and are usually seen near windows and on the sunny side of the structure.  The ones you see in the spring have been there all winter!

Control:  The best method of control for BEB's is to have the exterior of your house power-sprayed with a residual pesticide in the fall, combined with a light hand-spraying of the key areas of the interior when the insects first come on to the home.  Due to the sheer numbers in which these insects invade a structure and their hardy nature, complete elimination is impossible, but this type of treatment does provide excellent control and keeps the number of insects overwintering in the home to a minimum.