Can anybody help me to identify these insects in my garden? They usually hide near the wall, get out when it's warm and like to cluster in large numbers. I don't know whether I should get rid of them. BTW, I'm in SE Michigan and it's spring time now :)
Yep. Sure looks like an Eastern Boxelder Bug (Leptocoris trivittatus) although there are some others that follow that general pattern of body shape and black/red coloration such as the various milkweed bugs.
I don't recall ever seeing large congregations of boxelder bugs in the early spring although I guess it could be a mass of them which overwintered and which was which tempted out by the warm weather from some sheltered location. Sometimes later in the year I've found masses of them carpeting the ground -- really rather freakish looking.
Like your spunk in thinking you can get rid of them.. :) As mentioned they are a box elder bugs coming from a nearby host tree and the only sure way of not having the bugs is getting rid of the tree. More of a nuisance than anything but when they show up inside by the thousands you will learn to hate them with a passion. And they are not harming the host tree.
Definitely Box Elder Bugs. If you have any box elders or maples nearby, you can count on them in spring and then again in fall. They don't hurt the trees, and are simply a nuisance if found indoors. Population numbers vary yearly depending mostly on weather conditions.
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