Will this insect sting?
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Kevin Rooney
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Maybe a stinkbug? Don't know if they bite or not.
CaptCaper
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Kevin Rooney said:
When I was working at the Cog our trains use to load up with bugs when at the summit of Washinton. The guys said they were stink bugs. I think when you squashed them they stunk. I never smelt them though as I never really squashed them. Ha.
Usually by the time we were down they had fled the coach. They were a smaller shape,oval maybe 1/4 in. or so long. This one is about 1 1/2in.
Its a stink bug! It will not sting but it can produce an odor. Order: Hemiptera or as entomoligists would say, "the true bugs"
In the fall certain species of stink bugs will come inside looking for a warm place to spend the winter. An introduced species of ladybugs will do the same.
In the fall certain species of stink bugs will come inside looking for a warm place to spend the winter. An introduced species of ladybugs will do the same.
CaptCaper
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brianW said:
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A few will most likely get but I wouldn't be really concerned. Just catch them and release them outside or squish them........ Pest control companies could spray for them but in my opinion that would not be the best choice.
Rick
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Wow!! something I can answer!! 20+ Years in the Pest Control Business and it is finally coming useful here. 
From the picture it looks like a Box Elder Beetle or Box Elder Bug (I use the terms interchangeable), although it might just be a more common stink bug - BE bugs usually have much redder cross-sections on their backs, though.
In any event, neither will bite, thought they like to suck the juice out of your trees/plants - They are really more of a nuisance pest than anything else.
The Box Elder Tree is in the Maple (and Sycamore, IIRC) tree family, but the Female BE tree is breeding ground for these little guys. I consider the BE tree in the same vein as a Norway maple - both weeds of the tree family and they leave a lot of crap around, both can be obnoxious because of these pests which they tend to harbor.
The bugs are predominant in the late summer and fall and look to your siding as a Big beautiful tree with lots of bark (siding) to winter over in. On warm fall days they will swarm on the sunny side of your house and especially if there is a Female Box Elder or Maple tree on that side of the house (from where they likely came). They offer the same habits as cluster flies, where they become extremely active on warm afternoons in fall, winter and spring and then hibernate back into the cracks in your siding, soffits and the like as the day cools down.
We used to get 8-10 calls a day on warm fall or spring days with folks panicking that they were being invaded by roaches or the like.... We never like to spray, although Malathion, Dursban and Diazinon are labeled for these nuisance pests (Laws may vary by state). We used to recommend folks grab their wet/dry vac and just suck'em all up from the siding and then empty the contents into a garbage bag and throw it out.
I then recommend you cut down your tree, chop it all up into logs and bring the wood to the next VFTT winter gathering!!!!
PS no charge for the estimate
From the picture it looks like a Box Elder Beetle or Box Elder Bug (I use the terms interchangeable), although it might just be a more common stink bug - BE bugs usually have much redder cross-sections on their backs, though.
In any event, neither will bite, thought they like to suck the juice out of your trees/plants - They are really more of a nuisance pest than anything else.
The Box Elder Tree is in the Maple (and Sycamore, IIRC) tree family, but the Female BE tree is breeding ground for these little guys. I consider the BE tree in the same vein as a Norway maple - both weeds of the tree family and they leave a lot of crap around, both can be obnoxious because of these pests which they tend to harbor.
The bugs are predominant in the late summer and fall and look to your siding as a Big beautiful tree with lots of bark (siding) to winter over in. On warm fall days they will swarm on the sunny side of your house and especially if there is a Female Box Elder or Maple tree on that side of the house (from where they likely came). They offer the same habits as cluster flies, where they become extremely active on warm afternoons in fall, winter and spring and then hibernate back into the cracks in your siding, soffits and the like as the day cools down.
We used to get 8-10 calls a day on warm fall or spring days with folks panicking that they were being invaded by roaches or the like.... We never like to spray, although Malathion, Dursban and Diazinon are labeled for these nuisance pests (Laws may vary by state). We used to recommend folks grab their wet/dry vac and just suck'em all up from the siding and then empty the contents into a garbage bag and throw it out.
I then recommend you cut down your tree, chop it all up into logs and bring the wood to the next VFTT winter gathering!!!!
PS no charge for the estimate
peak_bgr
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I hate to argue with a pest control guy, but I think they may bite on occassion, not sting. I have them alot around my area in NY. I know I got a good liitle mark from one once.
Oh, don't get one in your mouth. You'll never get that taste out. 10 years later and I can still taste it.
Oh, don't get one in your mouth. You'll never get that taste out. 10 years later and I can still taste it.
zman
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check out this website
My wife mentioned this site to me a few days ago- MAybe it will help solve the debate!!!
http://whatsthatbug.com/
My wife mentioned this site to me a few days ago- MAybe it will help solve the debate!!!
http://whatsthatbug.com/
Jay H
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Could it be a Soldier bug? My sister says they are actually a beneficial bug and is good cause they eat a lot of damaging caterpillars and grubs and potato beetles..
Jay
Jay
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Puck
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Rick said:The Box Elder Tree is in the Maple (and Sycamore, IIRC) tree family, but the Female BE tree is breeding ground for these little guys. I consider the BE tree in the same vein as a Norway maple - both weeds of the tree family and they leave a lot of crap around, both can be obnoxious because of these pests which they tend to harbor.
I then recommend you cut down your tree, chop it all up into logs and bring the wood to the next VFTT winter gathering!!!!
PS no charge for the estimate
In defense of the box elder...it is indiginous unlike the Nrway Maple. The box elder is a fast growing short lived tree. It will grow in old lots etc. It has a huge importance to the Evening Grosbeak. This bird has declining numbers across its range. It has been suggested by a prominent ornithologist Dr Kress that box elders are encouraged to grow. He does understand that this tree is not held in high regard by gardeners and landscapers. He suggests other maples will work but are not as good as the box elder to feed these wonderful birds.
I have some norway maple wood for the next winter gathering.
gaiagirl
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I am no insect expert, not in the least, but to my eye this looks more like a leaf-footed bug than a box elder beetle. The box elder beetles are everywhere in fall near my folks' house in Mass. Box elders were planted along the edge of 495 nearby and they are like weeds now there.
The bugs literally cover the sunny side of the house this time of year.
Again, not sure, but this looks more like Leptoglossus occidentalis to me. It just so happens I am teaching 2 insect lessons today, so I'm kinda up on this stuff .
The bugs literally cover the sunny side of the house this time of year.
Again, not sure, but this looks more like Leptoglossus occidentalis to me. It just so happens I am teaching 2 insect lessons today, so I'm kinda up on this stuff
.
Aesop74
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Buggy
I worked for the Medical Entomology Lab at Penn State. My understanding is that Soldier bugs (or assassin beetles?) do bite. Box Elder Bugs do not. I suppose any insect with the ability to bite would, but I would not worry about it.
Box Elder Bugs are seen heavily with changes in temperatures. Typically they are everywhere after winter ends and the warm weather returns. They also typically appear again this time of year as they are seeking shelter before the winter comes.
I worked for the Medical Entomology Lab at Penn State. My understanding is that Soldier bugs (or assassin beetles?) do bite. Box Elder Bugs do not. I suppose any insect with the ability to bite would, but I would not worry about it.
Box Elder Bugs are seen heavily with changes in temperatures. Typically they are everywhere after winter ends and the warm weather returns. They also typically appear again this time of year as they are seeking shelter before the winter comes.
cbcbd
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How odd, yesterday I took a picture of this same bug (from what I can remember of what it looked like). I'll post some pictures of it later.
Whiteman
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I vote for the leaf-footed bug
We get these little guys in the house once in a while, and they are quite passive. I agree with gaiagirl on the ID (and she certainly posts the right credentials with that teaching assignment on bugs!).
Here's a little more information on leptoglossus occidentalis
We get these little guys in the house once in a while, and they are quite passive. I agree with gaiagirl on the ID (and she certainly posts the right credentials with that teaching assignment on bugs!).
Here's a little more information on leptoglossus occidentalis
el-bagr
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Several of you are correct, I think. I believe its the "Western Conifer Seed Bug", which is also known as Leptoglossus occidentalis. To me, the flared "pants" on their legs are the giveaway.
You know, not many bugs have painful bites, and far fewer can sting. (Although did you know that bumblebees don't sting, but they can bite?)
You know, not many bugs have painful bites, and far fewer can sting. (Although did you know that bumblebees don't sting, but they can bite?)
Whiteman
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Can Bumblebees Sting?
Hmm, it seems there may be another opinion on whether bumblebees can sting. Who but bumblebee.org would be more qualified to answer this question? (And isn't that the question that keeps us up at night?)
Anyway, here's what the bumblebee nuts say: They do sting!
I would not want to disturb their nest, but on a plant they are pretty tame. People are surprised that you can actually pet them if they are busy with a lot of pollen or chilly from a cool night hanging out.
Hmm, it seems there may be another opinion on whether bumblebees can sting. Who but bumblebee.org would be more qualified to answer this question? (And isn't that the question that keeps us up at night?)
Anyway, here's what the bumblebee nuts say: They do sting!
I would not want to disturb their nest, but on a plant they are pretty tame. People are surprised that you can actually pet them if they are busy with a lot of pollen or chilly from a cool night hanging out.
Paradox
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Dear ZMAN,
Thank you for the link. Pretty cool site. Frassinating subject.
Paradox
Thank you for the link. Pretty cool site. Frassinating subject.
Paradox
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el-bagr
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Good call whitelief -- queens and female workers can sting. I pet bumblebees all the time; in fact I had one for a pet for a while. ("He" lived in my room, and I fed him sugar water. After a while, I decided he missed his family so I let him go.)
Whiteman
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I wonder if you also have the experience that people think you are wierd? I never understood why all people don't pick up snakes and pet bumblebees.
