MINNEAPOLIS — Remember last September when the invasion of boxelders began? Some Minnesotans claimed it was the worst they’d ever seen. Now that we’re nearly to spring some of those nuisance bugs are still lingering inside.
But shouldn’t these pests be dead from this bitter winter?
KARE11's Guy Brown says it’s been a colder and slightly snowier than average winter. January was the coldest in eight years, February was nearly five degrees below average temp-wise.
So what’s with the remaining bugs?
Erin Buchholz, an integrated pest management specialist with the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, said what they know is boxelders aren’t adapting because they already have.
"They have been adaptive to our climate for a very long time," Buchholz said. "They can survive drought, they can survive polar vortex, and it's really not that big of a deal."
Buchholz said these bugs operate in cycles and experts have never truly been able to define why that happens. They know boxelders are a little confused when they’re invading your inside space, crawling around to find a place to hibernate. But she said the food they’ll eventually need to survive is all outside.
"This is the time of year when they come out of it and they are very, very hungry," Buchholz said.
So as the weather warms and they start making their way out, she said remember that they’re not harmful, just annoying and here for a little while longer.
"It's probably going to be at least a few weeks before we really see their numbers start tapering off and stop seeing them in our buildings," Buchholz said.
For the next boxelder season, Buchholz said prevention is the best defense. She said find those nooks and crannies where they’re getting in and seal them. She said if they keep making it inside, vacuum them up and help them on their journey outside or toss them.
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