The first insects we see every early spring are Boxelder and Elm Seed Bugs. We are sure you have probably seen them as well flying around in your back yards and showing you that insects are starting to come out of dormancy. Boxelder bugs are always something we have seen throughout our profession in the pest control business, but the Elm Seed bug is rather new here to Utah. We first started seeing Elm Seed bugs about 4 or 5 years ago. Because the Boxelder and Elm Seed bugs share such similar characteristics, such as behavior, habits, and even looks (yet they are different colors), people often confuse the two
insects. As we learned more about the new mysterious Elm Seed bug; however, we found that they pose the same problems for clients, and an infestation of either the Boxelder of the Elm Seed bug can happen very quickly and quite commonly. Boxelder bugs generally come from Boxelder trees, but can also come from Maple and Ash trees as well, and they are black and red in coloring. Whereas, Elm Seed bugs come from the Elm trees, and they are black and gray in coloring. Both of this insects nest and breed in and around these trees, and some even chose to bread on the ground in grassy brushes. They are most often seen on the South/West side of homes, as they enjoy being in the sun. They also breed very rapidly, hatching out 3-4 times per year. These insects become a major problem when home owners find they can’t even enjoy a day outside without these insects covering the entire perimeter of their home and then making their way inside. The last thing you would want is to let the Boxelder or Elm Seed bugs in and allow them to start breeding, which would then cause a huge infestation in your home as well! When you start noticing these guys outside we recommend you get your treatments done early as to prevent an infestation from occurring on the outside and inside of your home.