I hope I am not eating box elder bugs

Mirah · Post by **Mirah** » Fri Jan 19, 2018 11:04 pm

She said as she dipped her hand into the bag of chips that sat open for at least 10 minutes earlier that evening.

Post by **Cassie** » Sat Jan 20, 2018 10:23 am

Extra protein!

Post by **Eggs Loki** » Sat Jan 20, 2018 11:19 am

OMG BABADOOK IN THE PRINGLES!

Dr Dave · Post by **Dr Dave** » Sat Jan 20, 2018 11:46 pm

What's the worst that can happen?

Mirah · Post by **Mirah** » Mon Jan 22, 2018 7:00 pm

OMG I just counted 10 box elder bugs in my room. The sun is out and the room is warm, so if they were hibernating, they came out of hibernation to walk my walls!

I don't know what would happen if I ate one. Research is still on-going! Maybe I can mail a couple to you!

Post by **Eggs Loki** » Mon Jan 22, 2018 8:03 pm

Some bugs are a great source of protein.

But people usually saute or fry them, or cover them in chocolate, before eating them.

Mirah · Post by **Mirah** » Sun Jan 28, 2018 8:58 pm

!w
Boxelder bugs are mostly a nuisance pest. These bugs can bite. Their mouthpieces are designed to break through the skin of a fruit and are capable of piercing human skin, but they don't generally care to bite humans

!w
Things that eat boxelder bugs
Mice, rats, chipmunks, most of the other rodents, ducks, chickens, geese and other birds too

!w
emit an odor to attract other box elder bugs to their location

!w
Removal
(Just one of many I found and it sounds terrible. I just scrape them from my ceiling into a container and then let them go outside, where they will freeze and die anyway, but at least I don't have to watch it.) They are annoying and fascinating at the same time, just crawling around my ceiling and walls all night, never satisfied to stay in one place.

Insecticidal soaps. These soaps are effective at removing the cuticle of the box elder bugs, leading their death. However, the soap must be sprayed directly onto the bugs.

CaptainWacky · Post by **CaptainWacky** » Mon Jan 29, 2018 1:00 pm

Catch them with a big net.

Post by **Eggs Loki** » Mon Jan 29, 2018 3:26 pm

I've never been a fan of emitting.

Mirah · Post by **Mirah** » Wed Jan 31, 2018 10:56 pm

I appreciate everyone recognizing this problem I am having with these bugs. I think it is time to start setting traps.

Mirah · Post by **Mirah** » Wed Jan 31, 2018 11:02 pm

Here is what happens
EVERY DAY

The sun comes out and shines into the 3 windows in this upper room and all of the box elder bugs come out of hiding thinking it is time to live again. The sun goes down and they go away for a couple of hours, the heat kicks on in the evening, the fire is made downstairs and the bugs come back out. They will gravitate towards ANY light that is on.
So I turn on the light farthest from my bed and watch them gravitate towards it until I go to sleep, in which at that point I scoop them all up in a container and set the container outside my door.
The owner of the house has a different solution, she kills them with the opposite end of a broom and vacuums them up. That pretty much grosses me out.

Tonight I scooped all of the bugs up into a container and then I got online to do the usual browsing and posting. I missed one-and I TALKED TO IT. I was like omg there is no one left, everyone left this one lonely bug. And I felt bad for it! And then I saw another one I missed and I felt better that it wasn't alone.
I HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM! lol

I can handle 1 or 2 crawling around at night, but any more than that I freak out.

Also, if I turn off all the lights and have only my monitor on they will seek that out also. I turned on alight in the hallway so they will go out there instead, but I keep the bedroom door closed.

Okay, I am done posting about this for now.

CaptainWacky · Post by **CaptainWacky** » Thu Feb 01, 2018 2:19 pm

Mirah · Post by **Mirah** » Sun Feb 04, 2018 2:25 am

Tonight my friend Bill made me a superb cup of fine coffee and I set it down on my night stand as I set out to watch The Good Place. Probably ten minutes had passed, maybe 15 and I looked over at my coffee and there it was. A boxelder bug dipping its antanae or its leg, I can't remember which, into my coffee!
I was pissed!
I flicked him out and threw out the coffee!
Later that evening I smiled and thought how cute that bug looked on the edge of my mug dipping into the coffee. It was so cute. What was he going to do? Eventually he would have fallen in, like they do with the rest of my drinks and he would have almost drowned, I mean who can't smile at such a small helpless bug that doesn't know any better?

Dr Dave · Post by **Dr Dave** » Sun Feb 11, 2018 5:30 pm

Nuke the site from orbit, it's the only way to be sure.