KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Now that the sun is out, the bugs are out. Some folks in the WBIR newsroom are experiencing boxelder bugs by the dozens, and we know others are experiencing it too.
Most have been hiding outside homes all winter long, waiting for the weather to warm so they could start crawling out.
"They'll get inside the walls and stuff during the winter. They're wanting to stay in a warm place, they're not really hibernating," said Tim Price, an East Tennessee exterminator.
They're called Boxelder bugs because they tend to prefer boxelder maple trees, and they're mostly harmless. To get rid of them, Price recommended preparing homes for warmed weather by filling in gaps and cracks and getting rid of any opportunity they have to get inside.
If they're squished, Dr. Karen Vail, an entomologist with the University of Tennessee, said they could stain objects. She suggested getting rid of individual bugs with a vacuum and dish soap.
The best way to deal with them, however, is to call your local pest company and get them to spray your home, inside and out, for boxelder bugs and all critters. Price said as the weather warms up, there tends to be an "explosion" of several kinds of bugs in East Tennessee.