Stats

Lifespan: Up to 1 yr
Size: Small
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Colony
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: North America
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Warning Colors
Status: Common

About

The Eastern Boxelder Bug is a true bug of the soapberry family that feeds almost exclusively on boxelder and maple seeds. Each autumn, thousands congregate on sun-warmed walls and invade homes to overwinter — their bold red-and-black markings serving as a warning of their foul-smelling defensive secretion.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2.
juvenile
An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3.
subadult
A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4.
adult
Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Family: Rhopalidae
Genus: Boisea
Species: Boisea trivittata