True Bugs
True bugs are a group of insects defined by the presence of piercing-sucking mouthparts. These insects number in the tens of thousands and can include aphids and even bed bugs. They are mostly benign but in the case of bed bugs can be a severe infestation and a threat to humans and their wellbeing. True bugs include any bug that uses these types of mouth parts to drain fluid from its host. In the case of mammals and even reptiles, the fluid is blood. In the case of plants, the fluid is liquid chlorophyll. Either way, all of these insects can do some serious damage to trees, crops and human life. They are not to be taken lightly and should be treated if they try to infest your home.
Box elder bugs
Box elder bugs are among these piecing-sucking insects and are defined as true bugs. They do not drink blood from animals and they also rarely attack crops. What they tend to do is drink the sap from tree leaves. This is not something that should be taken lightly. They can destroy trees in mass and their population growth is massive. They can cause serious damage to forests and most importantly they can harm trees on your property. Trees that may have been planted by ancestors or trees you planted that you love. Maybe you have a Japanese maple or a cherry blossom tree and one year you find it’s being attacked by box elder bugs. This can be shocking and painful to know they have killed one of your favourite plants.
Box elder bugs life cycle
Box elder bugs are a serious destructive force and have two distinct reproductive phases. One occurs in the early spring when the bugs are mainly focused on absorbing fluids from plants. The second phase is more focused on surviving the winter so they can lay eggs and reproduce in the next season. The second phase generally comes around at the end of the summer and these are the bugs that will try to get into your home. They are desperate to get away from the cold as they do not have a means of surviving it. Normally they would travel south to a warmer climate but with the advent of heated homes, they no longer have to do that. They can just get into your home and survive the winter that way.
Box elder bugs dangers
Box elder bugs are not dangerous to your physical health but if they are infesting your home they are a serious threat to your mental health. These bugs will coat your house and find ways to get in through cracks and openings in windows and doors, through weep vents and wall vents and through plumbing and electrical openings. The only way to stop them from getting inside is by getting a professional technician to do a treatment of the exterior of the house. They can do an exterior insect spray around the base of the house and around the door and windows. This will keep the box elder bugs at bay.