Boxelder bugs

During the winter (if you can call the weather we're having in Texas winter....), people may have the opportunity to see boxelder bugs emerge out of their overwintering sites on warm, sunny days.  As they can show up all of a sudden in somewhat large numbers, it can be startling.

Boxelder bugs are dark brownish-black insects with reddish-orange markings around the edges of the thorax and wings.  The bugs are about 1/2 an inch long as an adult.  Nymphs, or immatures, look similar to adults but are smaller and lack fully developed wings.  Since the wings are not fully developed on immature stages, the red abdomen shows through.

While boxelder bugs typically do not cause damage to the landscape or structure, they may become a nuisance in and around homes from fall until spring.  In the fall, adults and nymphs may gather in large numbers to move to overwintering areas.  Boxelder bugs spend the winter in cracks and crevices in walls, around door and window casings, tree holes and in debris on the ground.  Sometimes they will try to move indoors to overwinter.  On warm days from fall until spring, boxelder bugs emerge from their overwintering location to warm themselves in the sun.

Boxelder bugs feed primarily on the seed pods of female boxelder trees, but occasionally feed on other trees such as plum, cherry, apple, ash and maple.  The insects pierce plant tissue with their mouthparts and suck juice from the plant.  Even though the insects feed on plant juices, they usually do not cause damage to the tree.

Removing female boxelder trees from the area may solve problems with large, repeated infestation of boxelder bugs.  Hiding places can also be reduced or eliminated by removing debris such as boards, leaves and rocks from the area as well as sealing cracks and crevices around the home with sealant.  If chemical treatment is desired, treat overwintering areas with chemicals containing active ingredients such as pyrethrins, cyfluthrin, bifenthrin, carbaryl or acephate.

2016 All Bugs Good and Bad Webinar Series- FREE!

Please join in for the 2016 All Bugs Good and Bad Webinar Series.  This webinar series provides information about good and bad insects.  Webinars are free and open to everyone.   We will discuss how you can help pollinators and other good insects by using pesticides properly.  We will also talk about how to control insects we think of as bad, like fire ants, vegetable bugs, a new invasive fruit fly, and cockroaches. We will even have a webinar about snakes, although they're not really insects but can be a pest or a beneficial, depending on how you look at them.  

Webinars will be on the first Friday of each month at 1 p.m. Central time.  The webinars are brought to you by the following eXtension Communities of Practice: Imported Fire Ants, and Urban IPM; and by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service,  and the University of Georgia Center for Urban Agriculture.

The first webinar of the year will be on February 5, titled "Don't Let the Insects Eat Your Vegetables" and presented by Ayanava Majumdar, Extension Specialist with Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

Gift list for insect lovers

With the holidays coming up, I thought I would pull up some gift ideas that have caught my fancy.  I'm sure that y'all don't have too many bug-lovers on your gifting list, but in case you do, here are some ideas.

Bee nose ring by Rock Your Nose Jewelry.

First up is a sterling silver bee nose ring because, c'mon....who wouldn't want a bee in their nose?  I have some bee earrings, but I may need to consider getting my nose pierced now just so I can really show off my love of insects with this. Nose ring sold by Rock Your Nose Jewelry on Etsy.

Beekeeper face jug by Grafton Pottery.

I must say how much I LOVE this beekeeper face jug.  It's custom by Michael Grafton who has some amazing stuff on his website.  I definitely will be saving up my hard earned dollars to buy a piece of his art.  It is AMAZING! I think that I'll lean towards one of his ocean/ underwater themed pieces....I have a thing for octopodes! (did you know that was the true plural form of octopus?).  You can find Grafton Pottery's blog here and his Facebook page here.

3-D printed beetle bracelet by Paralogical.

Next up we have a 3-D printed beetle bracelet by paralogical that you can find and purchase on shapeways.com.  This is a really cool bracelet not only because of the design, but also because it's 3-D printed.  Technology is a wonderful thing sometimes.

Stick bug bottle by Laura Zindel.

I saw these ceramic bottles by Laura Zindel on Pintrest and fell in love with them.  I just picture a cluster of them on the mantle. There are a bunch of different designs available and she also has plates, platters, butter dishes, tea cups and saucers among other things.  There is an ant platter that is wonderfully original.











I could not resist this cockroach backpack although I cannot track down who actually makes it.  All I could find is that it's from Japan....somewhere.  My husband actually showed this picture to me and I have no idea how he found it.  He's not a fan of cockroaches like I am and I can't imagine that he was randomly googling "cockroach" to track down gift ideas for me.  This is the same man that said if I come home with a cockroach tattoo that he will step on it (that doesn't mean it won't happen at some point....).

Backpack Mega- Cockroach....from Japan (somewhere).

Hand drawn insect decorations by The Old Laundrette.

Perfect for decorating a insect themed Christmas tree are these hand drawn decorations found on Etsy by TheOldLaundrette.  I find these very charming...very retro and remind me of old bookplates.

Vintage boot remover.

Do you have trouble removing your gardening boots before you come inside the house?  This may be just what you are looking for.  This is a vintage boot remover that is an insect.  Not only is it useful, but it also is decorative and looks much nicer than most boot removers that I have seen.  This is for sale on Etsy from Brass Attics.

Tang butterfly vase by Carol Long Pottery.

The last one, is certainly not the least as it is extremely beautiful.  It's another piece of pottery, but this one is by Carol Long.  It's a Tang Butterfly Vase and it is AH-MA-ZING!  Look at the gorgeous curves!  I love this design.