What kind of bug is this? Thousands of them are killing the grass. - Ask Extension
There are thousands of these little guys killing the grass by one of our trees. I looked around online, but couldn't find a match. Does anyone know wh...
Knowledgebase
What kind of bug is this? Thousands of them are killing the grass. #189868
Asked June 09, 2014, 10:27 PM EDT
There are thousands of these little guys killing the grass by one of our trees. I looked around online, but couldn't find a match. Does anyone know what kind of bug this is?
Update: so they appear to be young Box Elder beetles.
Via wikipedia:
"The boxelder bug (Boisea trivittata) is a North American species of true bug. It is found primarily on boxelder trees, as well as maple and ash trees."
That would explain why they are hanging out by our maple tree. I'm not sure why the grass is dead in that area though, since they don't appear to cause problems with grass (that I could discover online).
Update: so they appear to be young Box Elder beetles.
Via wikipedia:
"The boxelder bug (Boisea trivittata) is a North American species of true bug. It is found primarily on boxelder trees, as well as maple and ash trees."
That would explain why they are hanging out by our maple tree. I'm not sure why the grass is dead in that area though, since they don't appear to cause problems with grass (that I could discover online).
Jackson County Oregon
Expert Response
True, boxelder bugs do not affect grass but there is a somewhat similar bug that does called the chinch bug. This bug is smaller and lacks the red color of the boxelder bug and is found in grass. See this page for a drawing. There is also info on that page for control or contact your county Extension office for their suggestions.
Thanks for the info!
