What insect is this

[neit]

I started seeing these bugs around concrete patio bases near where pine needles where at. I don't know the way to start identifing these critters so hopefully someone can chime in and help me out.

http://img211.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bugs01br4.jpg
http://img515.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bugs02fy7.jpg

Thanks

 

[jhayx7]

Imageshack is blocked @ werk for me.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

That would be a box elder bug. They were responsible for the loss of a great many box elders around the country although only the female tree attracts them.

 

[TheSiege]

i f-cking hate them
weird tho, i have never seen the red ones, mine were mainly black

 

[BillGates]

I hate boxelder bugs....but I've never seen the red ones either.

 

[91TTZ]

Looks like a box elder bug. They like to come out in winter and sunbathe on the side of houses.



PS- Box elders dislike the metric system and prefer to be measured using standard units.

 

[wahoyaho]

cool, never seen them before, look pretty juicy to me

 

[BrokenVisage]

Looks like they're Creepy Crawlies, or creppus crawgalia

 

[alien42]

where did you take the pic?
i took this pic in kenya and they look similar.

 

[DefDC]

Yep. Box Elders.... They like sunning on my patio too! Looks nasty when they swarm tho....

 

[cbuchach]

Originally posted by: TheSiege
i f-cking hate them
weird tho, i have never seen the red ones, mine were mainly black

I agree; my apartment in Iowa City was absolutely infested with those from October to April. I woke up one night with one crawling on my face. They however don't carry any disease and don't bite.

 

[cbuchach]

And despite their name, they can be found on other trees besides Box Elder trees. So don't think that by just cutting them down you will rid yourselves of the bugs.

 

[meltdown75]

Originally posted by: alien42
where did you take the pic?
i took this pic in kenya and they look similar.

:music: you and me baby ain't nothin but insects so let's do it like they do on the..

damn

 

[alien42]

Originally posted by: meltdown75

Originally posted by: alien42
where did you take the pic?
i took this pic in kenya and they look similar.

:music: you and me baby ain't nothin but insects so let's do it like they do on the..

damn

they were stuck like dogs

 

[DefDC]

Since they appear to be in the stink bug family, I've always been careful around them, just in case!

 

[neit]

Wow, lots of interest in the pics, sorry for leaving the computer after i posted, but I had things to do

The pictures were from a suburb of St. Louis, MO. They have 2 colonies (both pictured) that I had found next to concrete, and as far as I'm aware the only tree nearby was a white pine that had to come down after an ice storm. I couldn't figure out the right fraction of an inch off the top of my head so just guessed the cm range Anyways, thanks all for the info, this will be helpful in my further research.

Any sites that can help me identify other critters? I was having a tough time finding a way to describe the insects so a search engine could give me solid results.

 

[BillGates]

Originally posted by: neit

Any sites that can help me identify other critters? I was having a tough time finding a way to describe the insects so a search engine could give me solid results.

The links on the left should keep you busy for a while...

http://www.whatsthatbug.com/

 

[zinkpig]

yeah ..thats a box elder bug ..they are totally harmless except that they crawl every where. We used to get tonnes of them every summer in salt lake city.

 

[drifter106]

Would have to agree...have a box elder in my back yard and during the summer they are all over the place. Sevin (insecticide) helps but doesn't knock them dead like roundup does to green plants. Soap and water does a pretty good job. Gotta have a feces load of them though to kill your trees. Been in this house for 5 years and the box elder tree by our patio is still there. The tree took a small hit last year but I blame that on drought. They like to crawl on the side of your house if its close. Try this: Box Elder Bug


You must live further south than me or my population took a hit....just a coincidence I went out today shooting some macro and was looking for them around the patio. They aren't there yet. I live in Kansas.