Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 exptools 1/6/84; site iwu1c.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!we13!ihnp4!iwu1c!jgpo From: jgpo@iwu1c.UUCP (John, KA9MNK) Newsgroups: net.garden Subject: Re: Red-and-black beetles Message-ID: <205@iwu1c.UUCP> Date: Mon, 27-Feb-84 11:43:49 EST Article-I.D.: iwu1c.205 Posted: Mon Feb 27 11:43:49 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 28-Feb-84 07:43:01 EST Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL Lines: 19 a Sounds like you have an infestation of "box elder bugs," as we call 'em here in Illinois. Judging from the amount of information I've been able to find about them (nearly nothing) they are probably just a harmless nuisance. They seem to go in cycles; 1980 and 81 were very bad here, with tens of thousands of the critters crawling all over the exterior of the house; 82 was less bad, and we had almost none in 83. With the warm February we've been having, they are already showing up in force, so 84 mightt be a pretty bad year. I had never seen them when I lived in Chicago and its suburbs. My first experience with them was when I moved to a semi-rural area about 45 miles from the city. If anybody has any more information about these bugs, I'd sure like to hear it.