Boisea trivittata
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[Photo] Boxelder Bug (Boisea trivittata). Live adult box elder bug photographed at Winfield IL USA, Sept 25 2002. Camera: Digital - Kodak DC4800. Photo by Bruce Marlin.

Order: Hemiptera
Family: Rhopalidae
Species: Boisea trivittata (Say, 1825)
Synonyms: 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 can of Dust Remover is also an effective way to kill these insects. 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.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boisea_trivittata

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