Are These Bugs Pestering You?

Don’t let them sneak inside your house

Winter weather conditions helped produce an abundance of Box Elder Bugs in Southeast Michigan. The beetle-like bugs have a black body and red markings on its wings.

Michigan State University Entomologist Howard Russell says the bugs primarily use Box Elder trees for food and shelter. He says although harmless, they can be annoying for homeowners. 

“Box Elder Bugs, they really alarm people because there’s just so many of them. There could be thousands in a clump and they all kinda move together and just cover things, so they can be a little off-putting”

-Howard Russell

Russell says the bugs have two generations during the summer. He says the second generation, which hatches in the Fall, can become a nuisance when they are found in a home. 

 

Author

  • Amy Miller
    Amy has been working in public and commercial radio for the last 30 yrs. She is an award winning reporter and news anchor, born and raised in Detroit.