 Backyard Farming in the River Valley Podcast
October 31, 2008
Masses of Bugs (4:00 minutes)
Audio/Video Script:
Dustin Blakey
County Extension Agent - Agriculture[Title slide -
River Valley Gardening, Masses of Bugs, Dustin Blakey County Extension Agent for
the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture]
[Dustin Blakey] Since Halloween is just around the corner it seems fitting to
talk a bit about some creepy crawlies. This is Dustin Blakey, County Extension
Agent in Sebastian County.
Each year as the temperature begins to dip into the chilly end of the
thermometer, many kinds of insects begin to congregate in to masses in yards and
on houses. In this episode, we’ll briefly cover 3 common insects that display
aggregation behavior in the fall:
- Multi-colored Asian Lady Beetle [Picture of an Asian Lady Beetle]
- Boxelder bugs [Picture of a boxelder bug]
- and their kin, the Golden Raintree Bug. [Picture of a Golden Raintree
Bug]
[Dustin Blakey] These insects, and others, overwinter as a group in a
protected place, such as under a rock or in a wall void. They are usually more
of a nuisance to humans than an actual problem to garden plants.
[Picture of an Asian Lady Beetle] The first insect is the multi-colored Asian
lady beetle. According to the USDA: [Picture of a mass of Asian Lady Beetles]
“The multicolored Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis) is native to Asia but
occurs in many areas of the United States. This beneficial insect was imported
and released as early as 1916 in attempts to naturally control certain insect
pests. But the first populations were not found in this country until 1988 in
Louisiana near the busy port of New Orleans.”
[Picture of an Asian Lady Beetle eating another insect] Like other lady
beetles, this insect considered beneficial because it eats many garden pests
such as aphids, [Picture of an Asian Lady Beetle eating aphids from a leaf] but
its habit of aggregating in the fall can be a nuisance, especially indoors.
[Picture of an Asian Lady Beetle with yellow fluid on its body] These beetles
will exude a smelly yellow fluid when squished that can stain fabrics, so the
best control for these insects is usually to vacuum them up when they come
inside. While it’s possible to kill them, you may want to ask yourself if you
really want a load of dead ladybugs in your wall void. [Video showing Dustin
vacuuming]
[Picture of a house with wood siding] Structures with wood siding a strong
visual contrast between the planks, and with large gaps exposed to the outside
seem to most likely to become an overwintering site for these insects.
[Picture of boxelder bugs in different growth stages] Our next pest is the
boxelder bug. We are already receiving reports of this pest at our office.
Boxelder bugs are a true bug that if it had its way would love to munch on the
fruit of female boxelder trees, but they also like many other plants. [Picture
of a mass of boxelder bugs] I suppose that’s good for them since Arkansas is not
richly endowed with boxelder trees. Most commonly they are found on maples,
chrysanthemums, and strawberries, but other plants can host them.
[Picture of an adult boxelder bug] Boxelder adults are easy to recognize as
they are slender, black insects with an orange band around their abdomen and a
faint orange “X” on their back.
[Dustin Blakey] Seldom do I notice any damage on garden plants, but like
Asian lady beetles their presence can be a nuisance.
Boxelder bugs are not impossible to kill; however, they seem to keep coming
even after you spray. Most homeowner pesticides whose active ingredient ends in
“-THRIN” such as permethrin do a fairly good job and are labeled for use
outdoors. Inside, vacuuming is your best option.
[Picture of an adult golden raintree bug] Another common pest that’s very
similar to boxelder bugs and gets confused with them is the golden raintree bug,
also called a red-shouldered bug. They look virtually the same as boxelder bugs,
but the only non-black parts are a reddish-orange mark on each shoulder.
[Picture of a mass of golden raintree bugs] I see these less frequently than
boxelder bugs, but they are present here. Their control and biology are the
virtually the same as boxelder bugs.
[Dustin Blakey] These 3 insects are primarily nuisances to humans and do
little harm otherwise. If you want to avoid dealing with them, the best thing to
do is make sure your house is well-sealed before they come inside. If
they enter your wall void, wait until next summer to patch the holes or you will
seal them in.
As usual, if you have questions about these bugs or any other creepy
crawlies, please contact your county Extension Office.
[Title slide] For more information contact your county Extension office.
dblakey@uaex.edu
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