Boxelder Bug Safari and Buffet

It's that time of year again!  Mother Nature is making good on her promise to bring us spring, and after a long, Nebraskan winter, we are excited for the warm weather.  At this time of year, you may have the privilege of witnessing a spectacular event - the emergence of overwintering insects!  A common bug that you may see emerging for the spring, is the adult boxelder bug.

Many folks do not welcome these magnificent creatures into their homes, however they really aren't that big of a nuisance. They don't sting or bite, they rarely eat house plants or items from your pantry (as you will see later in the post), and are just interested in finding a warm place to stay during the winter. They will leave as quickly as they can, once the spring comes.

Since we have been cooped up in the house, I told the kids we were going on a safari - a perfect activity for a cold, rainy spring day. It is also great practice for the days of collecting insects that will come in about a month. Children are natural observers and make great insect collectors.  Since boxelder bugs generally enter homes through old window casings, holes from cable cords/pipes entering the home, cracks in siding/foundation, we focused our safari on the south side of our house where it is warmer, near a couple of older windows.  My enthusiastic junior entomologist left no nook or cranny overlooked, and decided to remove the floor vent, too.

Boxelder bugs have a some wonderful characteristics which make them perfect for handling by children. Most importantly, they will not bite or sting, so children can handle confidently.  They are fairly robust, so they can withstand tiny hand's pincher grasps, and allow children to develop great fine motor skills.  I find another extremely important characteristic is they are a gregarious insect and when you find them, they are usually prolific. This is great, in the likely event that a few get smashed while your child tries to pick them up. Also, there are plenty of specimens for all of your children - anytime I can avoid a lecture on sharing is a big positive!

Once the kids each caught a boxelder bug, I asked them if they thought the bugs were hungry.  My two-year old was excited and suggested we feed them breakfast.  I asked him what he thought the bugs would like to eat.  He suggested chocolate and grapes. I created a plate with several options on it; pictured from the left is spinach, an M&M, two goldfish crackers, a piece of onion and half of a grape. And then we waited and observed.

Depending upon your child's age, the waiting might lasted longer than what my two-year old was able stand.  As you can see in the next picture the boxelder bug wasn't really given a lot of time to investigate the M&M before my son grabbed it...doesn't look like he'd pass the marshmallow test!

As I mentioned before, boxelder bugs aren't pests of the kitchen. They usually go into an overwintering period, which is similar to hibernating mammals. Overwintering insects slow down their metabolisms; during this time they don't need to eat. At most, they would probably appreciate a tiny drink of water.  Just use the lid from yogurt cup or Tupperware container and add a few drops of water.  Watch with your kids to see how he uses his proboscis (nose/mouth part) as a straw to drink the water. We gave our little specimen a drink before we sent him on his way.