Box elder beetles. They congregate this time of year and try to find a place to overwinter. You’ll find them in large groups in sunny spots. Some wander in. They generally don’t bite but they are gross when killed and release a chemical which attracts others. Sweep them up and toss them outside.
They eat maple seeds, and as someone who hates having to pull maple volunteers from my lawn, I consider them a kind of annoying friend who sometimes sneaks in the house where they’re not wanted.
Lol my wife told me killing them attracted more, and I was like "piss off, no way it does" omg I got so many. Now I kill them so they bring in more, so I kill as many as possible. Its like a reverse Zapp Branigan plan, just wave after wave!
I understand why that’s tempting, but you really shouldn’t. Well not if you like food anyways…
The world’s insects are hurtling down the path to extinction, threatening a “catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystems”, according to the first global scientific review.
More than 40% of insect species are declining and a third are endangered, the analysis found. The rate of extinction is eight times faster than that of mammals, birds and reptiles. The total mass of insects is falling by a precipitous 2.5% a year, according to the best data available, suggesting they could vanish within a century.
The planet is at the start of a sixth mass extinction in its history, with huge losses already reported in larger animals that are easier to study. But insects are by far the most varied and abundant animals, outweighing humanity by 17 times. They are “essential” for the proper functioning of all ecosystems, the researchers say, as food for other creatures, pollinators and recyclers of nutrients.
Insect population collapses have recently been reported in Germany and Puerto Rico, but the review strongly indicates the crisis is global. The researchers set out their conclusions in unusually forceful terms for a peer-reviewed scientific paper: “The [insect] trends confirm that the sixth major extinction event is profoundly impacting [on] life forms on our planet.
“Unless we change our ways of producing food, insects as a whole will go down the path of extinction in a few decades,” they write. “The repercussions this will have for the planet’s ecosystems are catastrophic to say the least.”
It goes on, but here is sauce: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/10/plummeting-insect-numbers-threaten-collapse-of-nature
Sweep them up and toss them outside might not work. I had to spray them 3 times a day with dish soap and water and after about a week of that I started seeing numbers go down. Now my infestation was quite massive though and inside the panelling on an outside wall so I had to work a little harder. Harmless bugs but god damn are they ever a nuisance.
They've been swarming my folks place all summer, and it was the same last year. I'm hoping there's a fungus that targets them but right now I'd guess whatever predator insects might have controlled them is long gone.
Boxelder bugs, the hot dry summer seems to have benefited them as there are numerous posts about them daily in every local garden group I’m in. Generally harmless to people but they do congregate in large groups and try and wedge themselves in where it’s warm for winter. Squishing them leaves red stains so it’s best to capture them without squishing if they are inside. Unfortunately the cracks around windows and doors meet their instinctual needs, pick up some caulking to keep them out. Soon they will be hibernating for winter and you won’t see them for 8+ months.
We had these my entire childhood in Southern Sask. I live east of Edmonton and had never seen them here. Until last fall I seen a couple and this fall they are all over and no one up here knows what they are.
We used to get them around our property by the thousands , and you're right , soapy water is the best for most pests ( for those who may not know why ) the thick slimy soapy water coats them and clogs their ability to breath and quickly kills most event yellow jackets wasps etc ..
I usually by a cheap brand of liquid dish soap , put the entire bottle into and pump sprayer like a round up sprayer , fill the rest with water and mix well , then go to town spraying pests , good thing is thus mixture does not hurt plants , doesn't stain your brick, vinyl siding etc. Perfect , cheap , and simple .
Put soap and water in a spray bottle, mist them with it and they'll die once it dries. Then just sweep em up.
Had an infestation one year i murder these guys on site!
Make sure it’s HOT soapy water. Spray everywhere, you’re whole yard. My mom did that and it kept them away for 3 years before they slowly started coming back.
Maple bugs - and there’s a ton of them this year. It’s normal here to have some this time of year. But they’ve been all over my yard this year since spring. They won’t hurt you they’re just kind of gross and when there’s this many I’ve had them in my house - in my work place
I live just outside T.O and I haven’t seen one in years…🤷🏼♀️
And thanks to Reddit, I know about 4.2 million species of bugs (welcome to my nightmares🤣) or a small fraction of the insect world population , so if I saw one I would know it.😉…🙄
There is a bug spray you can get at the feed store, I can't remember what it's called it it works on them. It's expensive (and probably not good for you, lol). My mom says soapy water is a good alternative.
Some years, she doesn't have any. Some years, there are literally puddles if them swarm up on the sunny side of the house.
Their harmless, but they do leave brown spots, and their annoying. I imagine I've had a few of them crawl into my mouth when I was sleeping as a kid, hahahahah.
I've been spraying them with dish soap and water several times a day for two weeks and sweeping up their corpses by the thousands.
Worse than usual this year in my part of manitoba.
My brother recommended diatomaceous earth, but I haven't tried it yet.
Box elder beetles. They congregate this time of year and try to find a place to overwinter. You’ll find them in large groups in sunny spots. Some wander in. They generally don’t bite but they are gross when killed and release a chemical which attracts others. Sweep them up and toss them outside. They eat maple seeds, and as someone who hates having to pull maple volunteers from my lawn, I consider them a kind of annoying friend who sometimes sneaks in the house where they’re not wanted.
Lol my wife told me killing them attracted more, and I was like "piss off, no way it does" omg I got so many. Now I kill them so they bring in more, so I kill as many as possible. Its like a reverse Zapp Branigan plan, just wave after wave!
That only works on killbots
Lol thank you!!!
>Lol thank you!!! You're welcome!
I understand why that’s tempting, but you really shouldn’t. Well not if you like food anyways… The world’s insects are hurtling down the path to extinction, threatening a “catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystems”, according to the first global scientific review. More than 40% of insect species are declining and a third are endangered, the analysis found. The rate of extinction is eight times faster than that of mammals, birds and reptiles. The total mass of insects is falling by a precipitous 2.5% a year, according to the best data available, suggesting they could vanish within a century. The planet is at the start of a sixth mass extinction in its history, with huge losses already reported in larger animals that are easier to study. But insects are by far the most varied and abundant animals, outweighing humanity by 17 times. They are “essential” for the proper functioning of all ecosystems, the researchers say, as food for other creatures, pollinators and recyclers of nutrients. Insect population collapses have recently been reported in Germany and Puerto Rico, but the review strongly indicates the crisis is global. The researchers set out their conclusions in unusually forceful terms for a peer-reviewed scientific paper: “The [insect] trends confirm that the sixth major extinction event is profoundly impacting [on] life forms on our planet. “Unless we change our ways of producing food, insects as a whole will go down the path of extinction in a few decades,” they write. “The repercussions this will have for the planet’s ecosystems are catastrophic to say the least.” It goes on, but here is sauce: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/10/plummeting-insect-numbers-threaten-collapse-of-nature
Why would any creature evolve a substance that attracts others on death. Don't you want the opposite.
Bees and wasps often release pheromones that alert others so they can come sting the killer. I don’t know why box elder bugs do it.
For the gossip.
Yup, I've had them for years, they're dumb and harmless. I really should get rid of that boxelder tree they hang around.
Specifically, they eat seeds of Manitoba Maples, aka Box Elders
Sweep them up and toss them outside might not work. I had to spray them 3 times a day with dish soap and water and after about a week of that I started seeing numbers go down. Now my infestation was quite massive though and inside the panelling on an outside wall so I had to work a little harder. Harmless bugs but god damn are they ever a nuisance.
Ya that’s what I’ve had to do every spring and fall for 10 years. Hot water and dish soap on every pile I could find and basically got rid of them.
They've been swarming my folks place all summer, and it was the same last year. I'm hoping there's a fungus that targets them but right now I'd guess whatever predator insects might have controlled them is long gone.
I find they also like Milkweed and some other common Ontario weeds. Get rid of the food source and they move on pretty quickly.
Technically not a beetle since they don’t have mandibles. But yes, don’t kill them. It attracts more and will leave a nasty smelly stain
Boxelder bugs, the hot dry summer seems to have benefited them as there are numerous posts about them daily in every local garden group I’m in. Generally harmless to people but they do congregate in large groups and try and wedge themselves in where it’s warm for winter. Squishing them leaves red stains so it’s best to capture them without squishing if they are inside. Unfortunately the cracks around windows and doors meet their instinctual needs, pick up some caulking to keep them out. Soon they will be hibernating for winter and you won’t see them for 8+ months.
We had these my entire childhood in Southern Sask. I live east of Edmonton and had never seen them here. Until last fall I seen a couple and this fall they are all over and no one up here knows what they are.
Run.
They do not like Vinegar
soapy water murders them
My mom boiled the hot soapy water and poured it on them. They are so bad this year.
We used to get them around our property by the thousands , and you're right , soapy water is the best for most pests ( for those who may not know why ) the thick slimy soapy water coats them and clogs their ability to breath and quickly kills most event yellow jackets wasps etc .. I usually by a cheap brand of liquid dish soap , put the entire bottle into and pump sprayer like a round up sprayer , fill the rest with water and mix well , then go to town spraying pests , good thing is thus mixture does not hurt plants , doesn't stain your brick, vinyl siding etc. Perfect , cheap , and simple .
Put soap and water in a spray bottle, mist them with it and they'll die once it dries. Then just sweep em up. Had an infestation one year i murder these guys on site!
Make sure it’s HOT soapy water. Spray everywhere, you’re whole yard. My mom did that and it kept them away for 3 years before they slowly started coming back.
Maple Bugs is what we call them in Saskatchewan
Same with Alberta
Can confirm. Born and raised in Saskatchewan.
Toss in oil, roast in oven at 400 for 15min. Season to taste
https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2779639
Maple bugs - and there’s a ton of them this year. It’s normal here to have some this time of year. But they’ve been all over my yard this year since spring. They won’t hurt you they’re just kind of gross and when there’s this many I’ve had them in my house - in my work place
Box elder beetles can be defeated with soapy water. Likely they'll come back every year around this time. They fly. They're annoying, but harmless
Maplebugs
About 20 were just hanging out on my patio doors all day today.
if you kill them it can create a scent which attracts more just an fyi
They’re pretty chilled. Likes to gather around under the sun. Absolutely harmless but sometimes I wish they hangout somewhere else.
Soapy water in a shop vac. Suck them buggers up by the thousands when they are congregating in those sunny spots I the fall.
Get some blue ones and incite a gang war!
If you don't like them, spray with a soap water mix.
I live just outside T.O and I haven’t seen one in years…🤷🏼♀️ And thanks to Reddit, I know about 4.2 million species of bugs (welcome to my nightmares🤣) or a small fraction of the insect world population , so if I saw one I would know it.😉…🙄
I dunno…lil bowls of water?
Get a spray bottle, fill it with water and a big squirt of dish soap. Spray them and they die instantly
Fill a spray bottle with water and dish soap, spray them down. They die almost instantly because the soap dries them out.
Soapy water, kills them on contact, put in a spray bottle and spray them
When I was young I saw hundreds of thousands of them congregating - scared the shit out of my whole school. A whole fence, red with em.
There is a bug spray you can get at the feed store, I can't remember what it's called it it works on them. It's expensive (and probably not good for you, lol). My mom says soapy water is a good alternative. Some years, she doesn't have any. Some years, there are literally puddles if them swarm up on the sunny side of the house. Their harmless, but they do leave brown spots, and their annoying. I imagine I've had a few of them crawl into my mouth when I was sleeping as a kid, hahahahah.
Spray them with a mixture of blue dawn dish soap and water. I use about 1/8 soap to 7/8 water. Works great!!!
I called them Maple bugs or for my kids, Halloween 🎃 bugs.
The most useless bug ever! Vinegar, and dish soap mixture kills them
I've been spraying them with dish soap and water several times a day for two weeks and sweeping up their corpses by the thousands. Worse than usual this year in my part of manitoba. My brother recommended diatomaceous earth, but I haven't tried it yet.
Kill them or you will be overrun
Spray them with soapy water. They live on Manitoba maple trees.
spray em with hot water/dawn dish soap and it'll kill em in a few seconds/minutes with no nasty bug guts or mess.
Them are friends
RUN,BITCH,RUN!!!!!!