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JunkDawgs · 09-01-2012, 07:16 AM

Anybody have any experience with Cork Beetles? They look like lightning bugs and have a reddish X on their back. These things are a nightmare! It started out as a few of them, but they mate and then their little babies spawn and look like little fire ants and before long they are full grown and mating again. We are using some store bought stuff to prevent them from them getting in the hosue, but how do I get rid of them?

joecaption · 09-01-2012, 01:58 PM

How did you come up with the name of the bettle?
May want to look over this chart and see if you can come up with the name, Google it and there will be some suggest ways to get rid of them.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Beetle+Identification&FORM=RESTAB

JunkDawgs · 09-02-2012, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joecaption

How did you come up with the name of the bettle?
May want to look over this chart and see if you can come up with the name, Google it and there will be some suggest ways to get rid of them.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Beetle+Identification&FORM=RESTAB

I misheard my wife, it is called the "boxelder bug" or "box elder beetle"

I've been looking into em and it seems as though they emanate from trees so I'm confused as to how I can get rid of them.

joecaption · 09-03-2012, 10:26 AM

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG0998.html

JunkDawgs · 09-04-2012, 04:16 PM

Thank you for the link, lot of good information. I had been reading a lot about them over the last week, at which time I had been trying a variety of different methods to get rid of the little buggers; however, I eventually sought out a professional. I would manage to prevent them from coming in the home, but then they would just find an untreated spot and gravitate there and so on. The problem with these lil guys is they breed in minutes and babies spawn incessantly. Fortunately, I bartered with a guy in my networking group and he took care of them with a very mild insecticide.

MorrisLowe321 · 09-04-2012, 11:56 PM

well these are some unique beetles I never heard abt. Try to have some experts advice if your issue is still not solved.

JunkDawgs · 09-15-2012, 06:12 PM

Update on the BoxElder Bugs. After the treatment, the bugs started dying off. I've had a few show up since the treatment, but they too die soon thereafter because once they come in contact with the mild insecticide they will get the treatment on their antennae and since they use their antennae to feed themselves it will eventually kill them. Pretty detailed there, but the short of it is, just hire a professional on these guys for a little over $100 and you'll be set. Try to do it yourself with a bottle of Round Up, they'll just find a new place to breed and keep on coming.

notmrjohn · 09-21-2012, 05:55 PM

Box elder bugs are... bugs, not beetles. Of the order Hemiptera. They do little damage, but are annoying as all getout, covering sunny walls, getting into houses when weather gets cool, and if you smush um they leave a red smear. A wall crawling with all sizes of them looks real creepy.

If you spray them with a mild soap and water solution, they keel right over. The dried soap solution kills those that come along later.
Round Up is a plant killer, it has little effect on insects. However you may have solved your problem, if you have box elder trees, you have box elder bugs. To a lesser extent they feed on ash and maples. But box elder tree= box elder bugs.

Keep an eye out,Junk, they hide in siding and work their way in, to get away from cool weather. They "hibernate" for a while, then when it gets cold enough to turn on heat, they think its spring and move towards warmth.

JunkDawgs · 09-22-2012, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notmrjohn

Box elder bugs are... bugs, not beetles. Of the order Hemiptera. They do little damage, but are annoying as all getout, covering sunny walls, getting into houses when weather gets cool, and if you smush um they leave a red smear. A wall crawling with all sizes of them looks real creepy.

If you spray them with a mild soap and water solution, they keel right over. The dried soap solution kills those that come along later.
Round Up is a plant killer, it has little effect on insects. However you may have solved your problem, if you have box elder trees, you have box elder bugs. To a lesser extent they feed on ash and maples. But box elder tree= box elder bugs.

Keep an eye out,Junk, they hide in siding and work their way in, to get away from cool weather. They "hibernate" for a while, then when it gets cold enough to turn on heat, they think its spring and move towards warmth.

Thanks for the follow up; your second picture is what inspired me to hire a professional! haha We've had good results and still warm weather so it leads me to believe I may be good, but time will tell as, like you said, the cold weather will force them to find new quarters.

notmrjohn · 09-23-2012, 09:18 AM

"second picture" Box elder in neighbors yard , 10 feet south of my sunny brick wall. All other walls of house brown, south wall looks like red barn, except....its moving... I try not to go over there unless i have to, creeps me out. Caulked the 2 windows real real real good. Spray the creepy wall and tree with dish soap in hose end sprayer once a month or so, or when layer just gets to creepy. As long as that tree is there, bugs be boogalooin', boogiein' down and and orgyin' on my wall.

BTW I looked thru all my field guides and Googled tha interweb for "cork beetle" closest I came was a "cork fly" used by fly fishermen to imitate a beetle. Strange world. How did you hear "cork beetle" from "box elder bug"? Mebbe you got some them lil guys down your ear. Ohhhhh creeped maseff out again.