Maple bugs might be 'stinky' but they won’t hurt your trees, Saskatoon expert says

What to know about maple bugs WATCH: CTV Saskatoon's Chad Leroux explains why swarms of the critters aren’t a concern.

SASKATOOON — Maple bug, boxelder bug, nuisance. These are some of the names used when talking about the little black and red pest that appears this time of year, often found looking for a warm spot to relax.

Sean Prager, assistant professor in the department of plant sciences at the University of Saskatchewan, said the bug loves warmth and can be found on the side of homes facing the sun, in small hiding spaces, or around the tree that it is named after, the boxelder maple, also known as the Manitoba maple.

Prager said although the bug does love to be near maple trees, they still can find a way to invite themselves into your home.

“They're just looking for places to hide. Cracks, crevices, under an eaves trough, anywhere they can hide out is what they're really going for.

“As long as they don’t find that, or so long as whatever they find doesn’t actually bring them into your house, they will be gone in a few weeks once it gets cold and you will not need to worry about it.”

Although Prager said they are harmless to people and trees, they are still a pest and have a couple of annoying traits.

“First, if you get them in your house, their excrement can stain things. So that’s a problem. They also have a chemical defense which is pretty stinky.”

Prager said the bugs could speed up their decision to overwinter if the trees on which they feed produce fewer seeds or less good food.

Prager said unless they start appearing inside, it is best to leave them alone.

Samantha Harris has lived in the Westmount neighbourhood for more than five years, and in that time she has noticed the bug, but she said this year there are more of them around than usual.

“I feel like for this time in August it does seen like there’s more, and I definitely remember them more into fall in the last few years, but I guess time will tell if they get worse,” Harris told CTV News.

Harris said she isn’t bothered too much by the maple bug, and it is more of a nuisance than anything, with the odd bug finding its way into her house when the weather cools down.

“We’re pretty used to it, it’s not that big of a deal, and we know how to deal with them now,” Harris told CTV.

Harris said her daughter is fascinated by maple bugs, and has had lots of fun poking around the large groups of them that gather around the large tree in front of her house.

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