You know you are looking at a female Boxelder tree (Acer negundo) (considered the ugly duckling in the maple tree family) by the swarming Boxelder bugs (Boisea trivittata) up her trunk. I think of this as a spiritual pilgrimage in the insect world. That’s as far as the romantic concept goes, for it’s the fruit of the female Boxelder tree that the Boxelder bugs favor.
Native & True.
Native to North America, Boxelder bugs are one of the most benign insects, as far as I can tell from entomology sites. They are true bugs, meaning they can’t bite. Their mouthparts are adapted for sucking. True bugs are in the order of Hemiptera, the order of stink bugs and cicadas.
Boxelder Bug Archival Ink and Watercolor Drawing. 11 x 14 inches on TwinRocker Artisan Paper, © Kristin Maija Peterson. 2026
$300 (unframed) archival, limited edition fine art prints will be available in August 2026.
On the March & En Masse.
I’ve often seen Boxelder bugs in late summer as the light begins to shift towards autumn. While Boxelder bugs are strong flyers, they prefer to walk where they want to go. I watch as they march in a thick black and red trail across the path to climb up the adjacent Boxelder tree trunk.
I suspect the reason people freak out about Boxelder bugs is that they tend to congregate in large numbers on the sunny south and west sides of houses. They only want to stay warm. If they happen to enter a home, it’s because there was a crack, a space in a window sill, an opening to the indoors. I doubt the intrusion is intentional, for Boxelder bugs cannot breed indoors.
The Work Begins: Boxelder Bug Pencil Line Drawing on TwinRocker Artisan Paper © Kristin Maija Peterson. 2026
The Aesthetics of Bugs
Honestly, I think Boxelder bugs are aesthetically beautiful. It’s the insect’s colors that appeal, a palette I associate with Japanese aesthetics. Perhaps this is wrong of me to state this, yet it’s how my Western mind works.
I have a long list of reasons why Boxelder bugs are completely benign. They don’t carry disease, nor do they threaten crops. Boxelder bugs can’t bite you. They do produce a bad smell when swashed, which is why birds and other insects avoid them. However, Boxelders do have a defensive odor that smells sweet like green apples, which they emit when sensing danger.
In The Studio: Boxelder Bug Drawing with Watercolor Underlayer; Work in Progress © Kristin Maija Peterson. 2026
What Are Boxelder Bugs Good For?
What good are Boxelder bugs, ecology speaking? Like every living thing, Boxelder bugs have a life span. When they pass away, they become part of the nutrient cycle, returning to the earth and helping support soil health, one of the most important resources we have. Healthy soil means food, balance, and above all, an extreme powerhouse in carbon sequestration, more than trees, in fact. In knowing this, I hope that the common Boxelder bug be held in reverence.
Like More Bug Art & Stories? Check out these posts.
Ladies of State: A tale of childhood memories, folklore, and Minnesota ladybugs.
Just Dancing in the Dark: How to save the magic that happens after the sun goes down.
Prairie Sovereign: I learned the difference between male and female Monarchs with this piece.
