10 Cool Facts About Boxelder Bugs

Friday, I was with my friend, and we found something called a boxelder bug. We were at the Audubon Society for a nighttime hike, and we found these bugs inside the research center.

We were very interested in these bugs because they didn’t bite us. We made them our pets for a little bit and then let them go outside. There were tons of dead ones inside, so we thought we’d save the live ones. I think they were inside because they knew winter was coming.

Here are 10 cool facts I learned about boxelder bugs:

1. They are also known as the “Democrat bug,” the “zug” and the “maple bug.”
2. They feed mostly on maple or boxelder trees. (We saw a boxelder tree on the hike!)
3. They can invade houses or other man-made buildings.
4. They hibernate inside of walls in the winter.
5. They are sometimes called “Democrats bugs,” because they swarm during October, which is right before people vote.
6. Adults are 1/2 inch long.
7. Adults also are black with orange or red markings.
8. They cannot or do not bite people.
9. Their poop can stain walls and furniture.
10. They do not reproduce inside homes, only outside.

You can watch them swarming in this video:

Learn more about boxelder bugs at this University of Minnesota website.
Update! The Audubon Society published this essay on their website, too!

You  may also enjoy 10 facts about one of my favorite bugs – the Ladybug