Boisea trivittata
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| Boisea trivittata | ||||||||||||||
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| Boisea trivittata (Say, 1825) |
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Leptocoris trivittatus |
Boisea trivittata is a species of true bug, commonly known as the boxelder bug, box elder bug or maple bug. It is found primarily on maple and ash trees. The adults are about 12½ mm (½ in) long with a dark brown or black coloration, relieved by red wing veins and markings on the abdomen. Nymphs and immature bugs are bright red.
These insects feed on the softer plant tissues, including leaves, flowers, and new twigs. Unless the population is exceptionally large, the damage to plants is minimal. During years when their population soars, they can damage useful shade trees.
In autumn, they can become household pests. The adult insects seek wintering hibernation locations and find their way into buildings through crevices. They remain inactive inside the walls while the weather is cool. When the heating systems revive them, they begin to enter inhabited parts of the buildings. In the spring, the bugs leave their winter hibernation locations to lay eggs on maple or ash trees.
These insects can be killed with a dilute mixture of soap and water — 2 tablespoons per gallon — sprayed on them directly. A small strip of duct tape can also be an effective way of killing these insects, as they seldom will fly away when approached. Unable to escape from the adhesive backing, they can then be disposed of. They can also be kept out of the home, to a degree, by putting boric acid and/or diatomaceous earth in places they would gather to enter, as well as by using weather stripping and other means to seal the house better.
The Box Elder is sometimes known as a Garage Beetle; the unscientific name "stink bug," more regularly applied to the family Pentatomidae, is sometimes used to refer to Boisea trivittata.
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