AFuelling
Warning: The following photo is rated R for strong sexual content
These guys are Boxelder bugs, or Boisea trivittatus. As I was walking to my next college class, they scurried quickly in front of me and I was able to get a photo before they completely disappeared. They primarily feed on low vegetation and seeds on the ground. They received their name by eating boxelder trees, and are known to also eat maple and ash trees. These bugs only have a life expectancy of a few days to a week, so they must reproduce quickly and often in order to keep up their species numbers.
Odds are that you have seen this bug in your house during colder weather, as they are attracted to warm areas. They have what is described best as a commensalistic relationship with our species. They overwinter inside our warm houses, and leave once it is warm outside again. They do not bite humans, cause no property damage, and are not known to eat common house plants. The only notable aspect of this species that negatively affects humans is that they release a fluid that stains whatever it touches when they are killed.
Fun fact: A "true bug" is an animal that sucks, literally! True bugs have specialized mouth parts to suck juices out of their food item. A true bug's proboscis does not retract as a honeybee's or butterfly's would. Next time you see someone mistakenly call the wrong insect a bug, feel free to share this cool fact with them!
Sources:
www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/boxelder-bugs/
Warning: The following photo is rated R for strong sexual content
These guys are Boxelder bugs, or Boisea trivittatus. As I was walking to my next college class, they scurried quickly in front of me and I was able to get a photo before they completely disappeared. They primarily feed on low vegetation and seeds on the ground. They received their name by eating boxelder trees, and are known to also eat maple and ash trees. These bugs only have a life expectancy of a few days to a week, so they must reproduce quickly and often in order to keep up their species numbers.
Odds are that you have seen this bug in your house during colder weather, as they are attracted to warm areas. They have what is described best as a commensalistic relationship with our species. They overwinter inside our warm houses, and leave once it is warm outside again. They do not bite humans, cause no property damage, and are not known to eat common house plants. The only notable aspect of this species that negatively affects humans is that they release a fluid that stains whatever it touches when they are killed.
Fun fact: A "true bug" is an animal that sucks, literally! True bugs have specialized mouth parts to suck juices out of their food item. A true bug's proboscis does not retract as a honeybee's or butterfly's would. Next time you see someone mistakenly call the wrong insect a bug, feel free to share this cool fact with them!
Sources:
www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/boxelder-bugs/