How to tell you have them
True boxelder bugs are mostly a northern insect. In Pinellas, the look-alike is the red-shouldered bug, also called the goldenrain tree bug: a slim, dark gray to black bug about half an inch long, with red markings at the shoulders and red eyes, often in large groups with bright red young. They gather under goldenrain trees and on sunny walls, driveways and window screens, especially when the trees drop their seed pods.
What they damage
These bugs feed on seeds. They do not bite people, damage the house or eat household food. The problem is numbers: hundreds on a wall or patio, a few wandering inside, and red stains when they are crushed on fabric or curtains.
What treatment looks like
Their food source is the key. Raking up seed pods under goldenrain trees and pulling the seedlings cuts the population at its source. We treat the walls, eaves and sunny surfaces where they gather, seal gaps around windows, doors and utility lines so they cannot wander in, and suggest vacuuming indoor stragglers rather than crushing them.
How long it takes
Clusters thin out within days of treatment, but new bugs keep arriving while seed pods are on the ground. Most homes see a big drop within two to three weeks once the pods are cleaned up.
Florida notes
Goldenrain trees are listed as an invasive plant in Florida, so many homeowners choose to replace them, which removes the bugs’ main food source. Treatment of the house exterior is covered on every plan, starting with Quarterly.