Thank you for attaching the excellent images. The insects are called seed bugs, of which several different kinds have invaded Oregon during recent years. Perhaps the best known, and most widely distributed native seed bugs here in the northwest, are boxelder bugs. Boxelders are about a half inch long; these new invaders are quite small, about a quarter inch or slightly less. The bugs in your pictures most closely match the Mediterranean seed bug (Xanthochilus saturnius). (See http://bugguide.net/node/view/102853)

Seed bugs are one of those good-news-bad-news stories. The good news is that their diet doesn’t include people, pets, structures, or garden plants, whereas the bad news is that they are extremely annoying nuisance insects.

When seed bugs abandon their favored seed hosts during the fall, they are on a mission to locate a sheltered site to spend the winter – far too often, houses are a perfect fit. The insects congregate on a south- or west-facing wall where they bask in the warmth of the sun. When outdoor temperatures drop, seed bugs sometimes invade interior spaces, entering via small cracks and crevices around windows and doors, also where utilities enter.

Management seldom involves pesticides. Instead, caulk and seal all entries you find indoors now but wait until next July to block the exterior. A wet-dry shop vac is useful when getting rid of large quantities of the  rid of bugs.

(See http://pestsense.cahnrs.wsu.edu/Search/MainMenuWithFactSheet.aspx?CategoryId=2&ProblemId=795.)

Thank you so much for the information.  We live on a large piece of acreage, some of which is farmed, and we are seeing these seed bugs everywhere.  We also have horses and they are in the horse bedding, hay, etc.  

I have 2 concerns, do these impose health hazards if they are consumed by our animals?  

How do we eradicate them?  I am using a shop vac but this is getting very tiring as I'm having to do it probably 20 times a day.  Does anything work?  Thanks again

Your veterinarian should be able to tell you about any potential risk to your horses or other animals.

No pesticides are suggested for use against elm seed bugs because they considered to be a nuisance rather than pests which can damage crops, people, pets, or structures. Focus your attention on keeping them out of your house. Unfortunately, there's no way to eradicate elm seed bugs.

Uh, oh. I mis-spoke when I wrote "elm seed bugs." I should have said "seed bugs" which, of course, includes those at your place.