Boxelder bugs and growing your own herbs

I currently have lots of these mega-creepy bugs walking around my house. They are dark gray and have red lines on their backs. One of the marks looks like an upside down letter “V.” There are so many. It’s cold and snowy, so how are they coming in now?

Bad news alert: they are already in. In, as in the wall void between the outside and inside wall. Now they have arrived at “really in” when they crawl out a crack around a window or under a baseboard and stroll across the floor.

Your winter visitors are the ubiquitous boxelder bugs. All ubiquitous means is “exists everywhere.” They belong to the bug family, which means that they suck their food up so there is no chewing damage from them. They suck in portions of the flowers of boxelder trees and soft insides of various kinds of seeds when outdoors.

You will never find any plant damage outside from boxelder bugs. Their crime against humanity is that they occupy homes and leave tiny frass stains or poop spots on things. If you pound them flat, they will stain whatever they are on. But if you punch them, whose fault is that?

Pesticide sprays are not very effective on insects that are partially dormant. Use the vacuum hose and remove them at great velocity from where you find them. After the 70 mph trip into the vacuum, they are in no condition to play another day. But if you worry about retaliatory raids from sucked boxelders, empty the canister.

For a vacuum with a bag, put a piece of nylon net over the hose end and secure with a couple of those rubber bands that come on broccoli. Push the net into the hose a bit to create a filter. Keep your hand wrapped around the net when removing bugs. Shake your catch into a bucket of soapy water and watch them sink.

Next May or June, inspect and seal any existing cracks on the outside of the house, especially on the south and west sides. Cutting down boxelder trees may not help at all. Trees are probably growing on surrounding property and will continue to be a feeding place for your bugs.

I am just beginning to grow herbs so I can cook with them. Are there any that are perennial in Michigan? I just have been assuming that all are annuals and jerk the plants out in the fall. They make food taste really good.

Welcome to the combined world of herb growing and culinary appreciation.

If you like to cook, “grow your own” takes on a new and different meaning. There are a number of herbs that can stand Michigan winters and still perform with the best of them. All the herbs that you grow are going to require a full sun location with eight or more hours of sun. Herbs can grow with less sun but will not have the taste intensity because of the lack of sunlight.

The soil should be well drained and somewhat sandy for best results. Sage is one of the herbs that is somewhat of a woody plant and will not necessarily die to the ground in the winter.

If you are pruning the plant, do it in the spring when you know what is dead and what is alive. Pruning in the fall can cause damage because the plant does not go into dormancy correctly. This also goes for lavender.

Two kinds of lavender that appear to be hardy in Michigan are ‘Hidcote’ and ‘Munsted.’ Others that are easy to grow and add flavor are chives and garlic chives. The mild onion and garlic flavor comes from their chopped leaves. Don’t cook them or they lose their delicate flavor. Lemon balm can be used in drinks but it is a prolific self-seeder. Pull up or give away all those that volunteer. Also investigate the mint family. Many are very hardy.
Contact Gretchen Voyle, MSU Extension-Livingston County Horticulture Educator at (517) 546-3950.

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The Livingston Post is the only locally owned, all-digital information and opinion site in Livingston County, Mich. It was launched by award-winning journalists who were laid off from the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus by Gannett Co. Inc. in 2009.