Boxelder bugs are about half an inch long, are black with red accents, and are prone to wandering inside your home while you're trying to maintain a clean environment. It's easy to panic when any kind of bug starts invading your personal space and yard in great numbers. Find out what boxelder bugs really do as they wander around your property to determine whether it's worth the investment to have them dealt with professionally.

Damage Property - No

In general, boxelder bugs don't do any damage to a home. They don't chew holes in wood like termites, and they won't eat your clothes and food like many types of moths. If you're only experiencing small swarms of the bugs, and they're hanging out on the exterior of the home, they're not even nesting under the siding or creating nests in your air-conditioning vents that block the ventilation. You're free to skip treatment for the infestation if property damage is your only concern.

Pose a Nuisance - Yes

Since they're prone to coming inside in large numbers, boxelder bugs can be quite a nuisance. You may find yourself stepping on them in the night as you're going to bathroom, or you may try to take a sip of your orange juice only to find a black and red object floating on the surface. Boxelders come indoors to find shelter from the cold as winter approaches, so as with ladybugs, you might find hundreds or even thousands crawling in through the cracks around your doors and windows. Crushed or dead bugs can leave stains on fabrics, stored clothing, and almost any light-colored material. If you find the bugs bothersome or are concerned about staining, it may be worthwhile to pay for professional treatment.

Damage Trees - Potentially

Boxelder bugs are named after boxelder trees, a type of maple that produces a sugary sap the bugs can feed on. They suck the fluids out of newly emerged leaves and twig tips, potentially damaging young trees by sapping their strength as they're trying to grow. For mature trees, even large swarms have very little impact on the overall health of the tree. Consider how many boxelder trees you have and how they're showing signs of damage in early spring and summer before assuming you need to pay for pesticide spraying to keep your trees healthy. In fact, you may decide to remove your boxelder trees to reduce the amount of bugs you're attracting each year.

Hurt People - No

If you grab a boxelder bug and squeeze it tightly, you may feel a sharp pinch as it bites in self-defense. The bugs lack the jaw size or strength to break the skin on even the youngest children, and they don't sting or bite in any other way. It's not necessary to get rid of the bugs just to protect your kids since these bugs don't really pose any threat to other living creatures. Curious kids who play with the bugs will quickly learn to leave them alone without having to worry about getting injured in the process.

Hurt Pets - No

Since there's no stinging or biting to worry about, there is no particularly risk to any kinds of pets you're keeping either. They're not even poisonous or capable of transmitting disease if eaten, and it is highly unlikely they will be eaten since they produce a foul smell and taste when injured. Your dog or cat is unlikely to try to eat them after the first or second try. Boxelder bugs are also not known to be a nuisance to livestock like cows or sheep because they're only attracted to boxelder trees and homes for shelter, not any of the livestock's food or waste.

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