Content deleted Content added
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit |
No edit summary |
||
| (40 intermediate revisions by 18 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{short description|Species of insect}}
{{Speciesbox
| name
| image
| display_parents = 6
| taxon
| authority
| synonyms
}}
The '''boxelder bug''' ('''''Boisea trivittata'''''), also called '''box bug''', '''maple bug''' or, inaccurately, '''box beetle''', is a species of [[Hemiptera|true bug]] native to eastern [[North America]].
==Etymology==
Line 14 ⟶ 15:
Trivittata is from the Latin ''tri'' (three) + ''vittata'' (banded).
==Biology and description==
The adults are about {{convert|13|mm|in}} long with a dark brown or black coloration, relieved by red wing veins and markings on the abdomen, with dark red eyes; [[Nymph (biology)|nymphs]] are bright red.<ref>Göllner-Scheiding, U. (1983): General-Katalog der Familie Rhopalidae (Heteroptera). Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin 59, 37–189.</ref>
Boxelder bugs feed almost entirely on the developing seeds of boxelder, [[maple]], and [[ash tree]]s.<ref name="U of M"/>
Line 22 ⟶ 25:
==Taxonomy and similar species==
The eastern boxelder bug is sometimes confused with insects belonging to the [[genus|genera]] ''[[Jadera]]
They may also be confused with the western boxelder bug (''[[Boisea rubrolineata]]'') which are near relatives in the same genus.
Instead, boxelder bugs belong to the family [[Rhopalidae]], the so-called "scentless plant bugs". However, boxelder bugs are strong-smelling and to discourage predators will release a pungent and bad-tasting compound upon being disturbed. This allows them to form conspicuous aggregations without being preyed on.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Aldrich |first1=J.R. |last2=Carroll |first2=S.P. |last3=Oliver |first3=J.E. |last4=Lusby |first4=W.R. |last5=Rudmann |first5=A.A. |last6=Waters |first6=R.M. |title=Exocrine secretions of scentless plant bugs: ''Jadera'', ''Boisea'' and ''Niesthrea'' species (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Rhopalidae) |journal=Biochemical Systematics and Ecology |date=1990 |volume=18 |issue=5 |pages=369–376 |doi=10.1016/0305-1978(90)90010-D}}</ref> ▼
▲The name "stink bug", which is more regularly applied to the family [[Pentatomidae]], is sometimes incorrectly used to refer to ''Boisea trivittata''. Instead, boxelder bugs belong to the family [[Rhopalidae]], the so-called "scentless plant bugs". However, boxelder bugs are strong-smelling and to discourage predators will release a pungent and bad-tasting compound upon being disturbed. This allows them to form conspicuous aggregations without being preyed on.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Aldrich |first1=J.R. |last2=Carroll |first2=S.P. |last3=Oliver |first3=J.E. |last4=Lusby |first4=W.R. |last5=Rudmann |first5=A.A. |last6=Waters |first6=R.M. |title=Exocrine secretions of scentless plant bugs: ''Jadera'', ''Boisea'' and ''Niesthrea'' species (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Rhopalidae) |journal=Biochemical Systematics and Ecology |date=1990 |volume=18 |issue=5 |pages=369–376 |doi=10.1016/0305-1978(90)90010-D}}</ref>
Boxelder bugs are also sometimes confused with milkweed bugs, genus ''[[Lygaeus]]'' for having a similar appearance.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}
==Range==
Boxelder bugs are a [[native species]] in [[North America]]
In 2020, this species was introduced as a non-native species in [[Chile]] and is becoming an [[invasive species]] in that region.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Faúndez |first1=Eduardo I. |last2=Carvajal |first2=Mariom A. |last3=Sarmiento |first3=Carolina |title=Detection of the boxelder bug ''Boisea trivittata'' (Say, 1825) (Heteroptera: Rhopalidae) in Chile |journal=Heteroptera Poloniae – Acta Faunistica |date=2020 |volume=14 |pages=125–126 |doi=10.5281/zenodo.3934435 |url=http://hetpol.wpt.uni.opole.pl/?smd_process_download=1&download_id=1922 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The introduction follows the use of maple trees as ornamental plantings.
==Overwintering, sometimes in homes==
Line 36 ⟶ 45:
Boxelder bugs are not universally considered pests within their native range. Boxelder bugs are harmless to people and pets.<ref name="Alan H. Roe"/>
During certain times of the year boxelder bugs cluster together in large groups while [[Sunning (behaviour)|sunning]] themselves on warm surfaces near their host tree<ref name="Alan H. Roe"/> (e.g. on rocks, [[shrubs]], trees, and man-made structures).
This is especially a problem in the fall when they are seeking a warm place to [[overwintering|overwinter]].<ref name="Alan H. Roe"/> Large numbers are often seen congregating on houses seeking an entry point.<ref name="Alan H. Roe"/>
If they Once the home's heating system becomes active for the season, the insects may falsely perceive it to be springtime and enter inhabited parts of the home in search of food and water if there are any openings that allow them to do so. Once inside inhabited areas of a home, their [[Defecation|excreta]] may stain upholstery, carpets, drapes, and they may feed on certain types of house plants.<ref name="Alan H. Roe"/>
Line 46 ⟶ 57:
Their outdoor congregation habits and indoor excreta deposits are perceived as a nuisance by some people, therefore boxelder bugs are often considered pests in those contexts.<ref name="Alan H. Roe"/>
The removal of boxelder trees and maple trees can help control boxelder bug populations, but
Providing ample native woodland or other natural landscape helps Boxelder bugs overwinter without becoming a nuisance, along with helping many other species within the same [[ecosystem]] such as [[ground bees]] also native to North America.
==Relationship to agriculture and gardening==
Line 58 ⟶ 71:
==Predation by other animals==
[[Spider]]s and [[cat]]s are minor predators,<ref name="Alan H. Roe"/> but because of the boxelder bug's [[Chemical defense#Invertebrates|chemical defenses]] few birds or other animals will eat them.<ref name="Alan H. Roe"/> Boxelder bug populations are not affected by any major diseases or [[Parasitism|parasites]].<ref name="Alan H. Roe"/>
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Adult and nymph Boxelder Bugs.jpg
Line 65 ⟶ 79:
File:Box Elder Bug adults and nymphs.jpg
File:Boxelderbugz.jpg
File:Group of Boxelder Bugs.jpg|alt=Large group of boxelder bugs found on a fallen limb.|Large group of boxelder bugs found on a fallen limb
File:BoxelderBugsBoltonONSep2018.jpg|alt=A mass of boxelder bugs on a fencepost in Bolton, Ontario in September 2018.|A mass of boxelder bugs on a fencepost in Bolton, Ontario, in September 2018
| |||