Let The Game Begin!

Well, it's that time of the year when the day are longer, the weather starts to warm and we're in the homestretch to spring.

With these changes also comes the awakening of both the Boxelder Bugs and the dreaded Stink bugs. These pesky insects start stirring and randomly appearing in the house - not an onslaught but rather one here and one there. More annoying than anything else.

But with it also comes time for "water' sports!

"Water" sports, as defined by me, is where the emerging critters are gently gathered and tossed into the commode 🚽, see below, then used as targets 🎯, wink wink.

Now I'm not saying this is a gender specific sport, heaven forbids no! However, I would imagine that males have a far easier time at this game, but ALL are invited to play!

Ready! Set! Unzip...

Soapy Water!

I don't believe you'll find this tip on Pinterest, so here you go.  You can thank me later!

I used this Windex product back in the spring to spray the outside of all the windows of my house.  It did a pretty good job at cleaning them and they were streak free as claimed.  The key part is this bottle has the ability to stream long distances.

So, instead of recycling, I saved the bottle with the following specific fall use in mind and let me tell you, it didn't disappoint; worked like a charm.

Every year around this time in the fall, the south and west sides of my house attracts Box elder bugs and stink bugs, see pics below, GRRR!  They amass hiding under the clapboards, behind the shutters, wherever they can.

They're not dangerous and don't do any harm to me or the dog or the house, with one exception - their poop!  They poop everywhere and it stains the house, double GRRR!

However, here's the good news and why I saved the above bottle. The Box elder bugs can be controlled and killed simply by spraying them with soapy water!  SO, every couple of days now for the past several weeks, I pour a generous helping of Dawn liquid soap into the bottle and fill up with warm water.  Attach it to my hose and spray the sides of my house, behind the shutters and under the clapboards.  This bottle does a terrific job at reaching the second floor windows, nooks and crannies from the ground and has some good force with it also. AND boy-o-boy does it flush these dudes out good.  Although, mostly effective, it doesn't kill them all but does well enough and helps to spray their poop off the house too.

If it's not the deer or the rabbits or the woodchucks, it's these darn insects.

It's a battle and I'm holding my own!

Well This Stinks!

 The invasion has begun, UGH!

It's that time of the year when my house becomes a magnet for Boxelder bugs and Stink bugs.  This is a yearly occurrence that has been taking place since I moved in.

The South side of the house is where they usual mass, especially once the sun hits and it warms up.  They're harmless, however, the issue is the poop they leave all over the clapboards when they gather.  Just as quickly as they appear, poof they go into hiding when it starts to cool down.

I could spend hours chasing and swatting them and often do but it doesn't make a difference or a dent in their numbers.  The problem too is that often times some fine there way into the house.  Again, they're harmless but the stink bugs in particular, stink, so if you try to remove them PHEW!  Unfortunately, the cold and freezing New England winters do not kill them.  They seem to overwinter just fine and reappear come spring to start the cycle all over again.

Shoo! Go Away! Scram!

It's that time of year, which I believe I've posted about before, where the stink bugs, boxelder bugs and ladybugs swarm and amass on my house. Here are a couple pics, which really doesn't do justice to how many of these darn things there are -

They get up under the cracks of the clapboards -

Part of the problem is doing this is they poop all over, which of course is showing and staining the clapboards, gross!  I've killed thousands, from when they first started to appear when youngsters, to now where they can fly.  However, from the looks you wouldn't guess I killed any.  They come out and cover the house on the nice sunny and warm days, otherwise they're hidden and somewhat dormant.

It's been this way every fall since I moved into the house.

My Congregation, Alas

It's that time of the year, fall, when the stink bugs, lady bugs and boxelder bugs start congregating on our house.  The latter are the worst in terms of numbers, there are thousands easily.  They prefer the south side of the house and come out during the day but hide as it gets dark. Behind the shutters, under the clapboards, wherever there's a hole or opening they can fit in.  They're harmless except they defecate all over.

I was hoping we wouldn't have as many this year, as one of our neighbors had a number of boxelder trees removed but alas, that had no effect.

Bboxelder Bug (Boisea trivittata)

This time of the year the Boxelder bug newborn can be seen massing here and there and everywhere.

They're easy to spot, that's for sure.  They don't do any harm that I'm aware of but I don't recall having as many as we have this year, scads of them everywhere.

Weeping Boxelder

Weird yet interesting at why this Boxelder tree is weeping.

I'll need to take a closer look but don't recall any damage.

Could be due to the odd weather we're having this winter.

I gotta be honest, I wouldn't be disappointed if this tree were to die.  It's getting too tall and blocks the sun from getting to the Lilac trees and Raspberries.  It also grows the messy Samara's that it drops all over creation come fall.

Samara Time of Year

This is a picture of one of the many Boxelder trees that we have along the back of our property. Notice the brown items, otherwise known as the Samara, which are essentially a type of fruit and covering most of these trees.  They're much easier to spot now that they've dried and turned brown.

Samara's are often referred to as a wingnut, helicopter, whirlibird, whirligig, polynose, or, in the north of England, a spinning jenny.  I like to refer to them as super annoyances for the fact that they're very mess this time of year when they begin to fall and fly all over the place.  It's a bear keeping the pool clean of them.

Boxelder Bugs, Boisea trivittatus

Here is a single Boxelder bug sitting on the flower of a sedium.



Here is a close up of a bunch of juvenile Boxelder bugs climbing all over a daylily.



And here they are dotting the back of our house.



These dudes are harmless and typically not noticed during the summer but come fall, August and September fahgetaboutit, they come out of the woodwork in search of a warm place to winter over. In our case they mass on the West and South side of house, especially on the warmer days. They make their way into every nook and cranny - working their way between the storm windows and storm doors and often time hitching rides on us as we come and go to get inside the house. Although the above picture shows these nuisances dotting the house it does not do justice to just how many there are and how they come together.

This has been taking place each fall since we moved into our house, so we've come to expect it and also accept it as an indication that fall has arrived here in New England and that winter is right around the corner.

Bug Identification

What type of bug is this - Milkweed bug or Boxelder bug?

We've had these pests in our yard, on our house and everywhere else on our property. We'll find them inside and outside. Big ones and small ones. Alone and in groups (sounds like the beginning of a Dr. Seuss book). In the fall they seem to congregate in masses on the south side of the house, where it's the sunniest. Other than being a nuisance they don't appear to do any damage or cause any problems.

Around this time of the year you can find their eggs, which are red, in small clusters on the fence, posts, swing set etc and they make a crunch sound when squashed...

After substantial research (kinda) I've determined this to be a Boxelder bug. This also means that the trees I thought to be Ash are really...what?! Boxelder Acer negundo, (A-ser ne-GOON-do) of course!

Here is a side-by-side comparison of the two: