Straight answers from a licensed New York exterminator and Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE) — serving all five boroughs, in English and Spanish.
Get a Free Estimate →⏱ 3 min read
Quick answer: Boxelder bugs are black-and-red insects that feed on boxelder and maple trees, then gather on warm, sunny walls in fall and slip indoors to overwinter. They do not bite, breed indoors, or damage the home, but they are a clustering nuisance. Control is exclusion — sealing them out before fall — plus vacuuming the ones that get inside.
What do boxelder bugs look like?
Boxelder bugs are about 1/2 inch, elongated and flat, and black with bright red or orange lines along the body and wing edges. The young (nymphs) are bright red. They are frequently seen in clusters basking on sunlit walls, fences, and rocks.
Signs of a boxelder bug problem
The hallmark is large aggregations on warm, sunny walls in fall, followed by bugs appearing indoors around windows and on warm winter and spring days as overwintering adults wake up.
Why boxelder bugs get indoors
Boxelder bugs feed on boxelder and maple trees during the season, then, like stink bugs and cluster flies, seek shelter to overwinter. They enter through gaps around windows, siding, soffits, and utility penetrations and hide in voids until spring. They do not reproduce indoors or harm the home.
How to keep boxelder bugs out
The durable fix is exclusion before fall: seal cracks and gaps around windows, doors, siding, and utility lines, repair or add screens, and install door sweeps. For heavy pressure, a targeted exterior treatment timed to the fall gathering reduces clustering. For bugs already inside, vacuum them up rather than crushing them, since they can stain surfaces.
When to call a professional
For homes with heavy fall invasions — often those near boxelder or maple trees — a professional can identify entry points, perform exclusion, and time an exterior treatment to the seasonal gathering.
A Brooklyn-based, NYSDEC-registered company (Reg. #15140) led by Jorge Bedoya, an Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE). For pests in your home or building, NYE provides IPM-based, low-exposure control matched to the exact pest and verified with a follow-up. ACE-led work comes with a client portal of service reports and photos, fully bilingual service, and no long-term contract.
Boxelder Bug FAQ
How do I identify boxelder bugs?
Boxelder bugs are about 1/2 inch, black with distinctive red or orange lines on the body and wings, and elongated and flat. Nymphs are bright red. They are often seen in clusters on sunny surfaces.
Why are boxelder bugs on my house?
They feed on boxelder and other maple trees, then in fall gather on warm, sun-exposed walls and enter through gaps to overwinter in wall voids and attics, re-emerging on warm days.
How do you get rid of boxelder bugs?
Vacuum up the bugs (do not crush them, as they can stain), and seal exterior gaps and cracks before fall so they cannot enter. Exclusion done ahead of the season is the lasting fix.
Do boxelder bugs bite or cause damage?
They do not bite people, breed indoors, or damage the structure. Crushed bugs can leave a stain, and they are a nuisance because of their numbers.
How do I keep boxelder bugs out?
Seal cracks and gaps around windows, doors, siding, and utility lines, repair screens, and install door sweeps. Where pressure is high, a fall exterior treatment reduces the clustering.
More in our Pest Library · Not sure what you have? Try the NYC Pest Identifier. Reviewed by Jorge Bedoya, ACE.
request a free estimate
- Phone: (347) 210-4646
- Email: info@nyepestcontrol.com
- Address: 1115 East 13th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11230