It seems that more and more boxelder bugs are starting to make their presence felt in southeastern Manitoba. 

John Gavloski is an entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture. He says populations of boxelder bugs will depend on what kind of trees are growing nearby.

"Areas where there are a lot of maple trees, particularly Manitoba Maple, you'd have more boxelder bugs," Gavloski points out. 

He says boxelder bugs are of no harm to people or pets. 

Gavloski says these bugs are not beneficial, but they are also not harmful. He notes the maple trees are not impacted by the bugs feeding on the seeds. 

Gavloski says these bugs are just trying to overwinter.

"Just physically remove them," he says. "What they feed on as adults are seeds of maple trees. They've got no interest in much of what would be in peoples' homes."

Meanwhile, some Manitobans are also now starting to notice Asian lady beetles. According to Gavloski, the Asian lady beetle is a newer species in Manitoba. They have been here since about 2000 and Gavloski says they are really good at getting into homes. He notes while they are not harmful, they can create quite an odour. 

"Easiest thing to do is just try to physically remove them and put them outside," he says. "Don't squish them, they'll stink and make a mess." 

This time of year, Asian lady beetles will feed on fruit. 

"Which, if you're growing grapes to make wine out of, can be a nuisance because if they end up getting crushed with the grapes can taint the wine," he says.

The beetles look similar to ladybugs. Two big differences are that the beetles bite and they give off an offensive odour when they bleed.

"They can purposely make themselves bleed if they want to," Gavloski explains. "It's called reflex bleeding."

When these beetles are frightened, they can make themselves bleed from their leg joints, leaving behind a smelly, yellow fluid. Gavloski says that yellow fluid is 'lady beetle blood.'

Gavloski says the best way to keep insects from entering your home is to fill cracks and gaps that could serve as an entrance for them. He says there might be a brief benefit to spraying a deterrent around your home, but that would have to be reapplied quite often to have any impact. 

While the Asian lady beetles can be a nuisance in our homes, Gavloski points out that there is a good side to having these bugs around. He notes their main diet is aphids, and that means these bugs are extremely helpful in controlling the aphid population in crops. The number of lady beetles is quite dependent on their food supply each year.

 

With files from Judy Peters


This report by SteinbachOnline.com was first published on September 26, 2023.