St. Paul, MN
Box Elder Bugs

In our arctic Minnesota winters, it’s easy to think that insects simply die-off, or just hibernate until spring time until one day you’re watching TV, and you notice a couple of uninvited guests crawling on your window. They’re black and red, and suddenly you remember noticing them in the warmer months, but why are they here in the winter? They’re box elder bugs, and they’re shacking up in your walls for the winter.

Almost every home and business in and around St. Paul has seen box elder bugs gathered in very large numbers during the fall. These insects are especially fond of the west or south side of a structure that gets a lot of afternoon sun. They like the warmth of sunshine, but are also trying to find cracks and crevices that they can squeeze into once they start to sense the cooler weather approaching. Once inside, box elder bugs will utilize the structure’s heat to survive the winter, and will even become active on warmer days. Once spring hits, they become much more active, and will begin to swarm structures again.

Late spring and summer time is when box elder bugs mate and lay eggs. The adults and nymphs will then swarm mainly box elder trees, but sometimes maple and ash trees to feed on seeds and leaves. During years of high populations, you may find nymphs on the ground or in gardens feeding throughout the summer. They do not cause damage to trees, but are building up numbers to do what they do best: become a major nuisance. As summer begins to wind down and transform into fall, those box elder bugs begin swarming; undoubtedly the time of year when they are the most prevalent.

Considering the fact that box elder bugs are a year-round pest issue here in St. Paul, Rove Pest Control has the means and the expertise to keep them under wraps. Our exterior power spray that Rove puts up in the warmer seasons keeps a box elder barrier around your home to kill those pesky bugs, and keep them from calling your home – their favorite sun bathing spot. We also provide a unique winter wall dusting service that gets at any of those box elders and other insects that made it into your walls to shack up for the winter. When messing with Rove, box elder bugs have nowhere to hide. Contact your Rove specialist today.