Red-shouldered bug

-

Southwest Yard & Garden

By Bethany Abrahamson 

 

Every year I see these little characters under my golden rain tree in Albuquerque. Photo credit: Bethany Abrahamson. 

QUESTION: How do you feel about those bugs that hang around golden rain trees?

 --Sandoval County, NM 

 

ANSWER: I don’t mind them! Red-shouldered or golden rain tree bugs (Jadera haematoloma) are some of the earliest bugs I see in my garden, and they remind me that spring is here, even while I’m still bundled up. 


 

Here's a size comparison of some Jadera nymphs, by Marisa Thompson. 

 

In fact, I started this article thinking they were boxelder bugs, but the two are in different genera. Boxelder bugs and red-shouldered bugs have pretty similar life habits and effects on the landscape.

So that you can tell them apart: Both boxelder bugs and red-shouldered bugs are red and black with red eyes, but boxelder bugs are found on boxelder (Acer negundo), maple and ash, and have more red in their coloration. Red-shouldered bugs only have red shoulders, and are found on or near golden rain trees (Koelreuteria paniculata). They both can leave a red stain when squished, but compared to boxelder bugs, they are less foul-smelling.

I’m probably so tolerant of these bugs because I’ve never had them get inside my home. Boxelder bugs seek warm places to shelter, and have been known to move inside homes for the winter. Red-shouldered bugs may do this as well, though not as much. The best way to get rid of them if you see a lot indoors is to use a vacuum. Check your home for any places where they might be getting in—broken window screens, gaps at the bottoms of doors, etc., which is good practice for excluding other unwelcome guests. You can sweep up those golden rain tree seeds if there is concern about finding them outside in certain areas such as patios, but it really is unnecessary to apply any kind of pesticide to control these insects. They don’t harm the plants they feed on, and don’t bite.

If you let them be, you can observe interesting behaviors such as mating:

 

Photo credit: Rebekah D. Wallace, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org, CC BY-NC 3.0

 

...And congregating (a little scary, but harmless):

 File:Red-shouldered Bug - Jadera haematoloma, Occoquan Regional Park, Lorton, Virginia (38397728902).jpg

Photo credit: Judy Gallagher, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

 

Adored by red-shouldered bugs everywhere, the golden rain tree (this one planted at the University of New Mexico):


Photo credit: Bethany Abrahamson.

 

Golden rain trees grow well in central New Mexico, as they're known to be fairly drought- and heat-tolerant, though some may consider the fruit to be a potential problem—however I love the papery lanterns that this tree produces. 

 

For more information on red-shouldered bugs, boxelder bugs, and trees that grow well in New Mexico:

Baker, J. (2013, reviewed 2023). Red shouldered bug or golden rain tree bug. PDIC Factsheets. N.C. Cooperative Extension. https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/red-shouldered-bug-or-goldenraintree-bug 

Missouri Botanical Garden (n.d., updated 2024). Boxelder, red-shouldered and scentless plant bugs. https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/insects-pests-and-problems/insects/plant-bugs/boxelder-red-shouldered-and-scentless-plant-bugs

Mitchell, R. (2017). The Jadera bug and the golden rain tree - a love story. UF/IFAS Extension Charlotte County. https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/charlotteco/2017/08/04/jadera-bug-golden-rain-tree-love-story/

National Pesticide Information Center. (2021). Boxelder bug. https://npic.orst.edu/pest/boxelder.html 

Smith, C. (Mar. 31, 2007). Red-shouldered bugs. Southwest Yard and Garden. https://swyg.nmsu.edu/2007/033107.html

Smith, C. (2009). Shade Trees for New Mexico. Guide H-426, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University. https://pubs.nmsu.edu/_h/H426/index.html

Sutherland, C. (Oct. 2006). Boxelder Bugs. New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service O&T Guide [O-#04]. https://plantclinic.nmsu.edu/documents/o-04-boxelderbugs.pdf 

 


For more gardening information, including decades of archived Southwest Yard & Garden columns, visit the NMSU Extension Horticulture page (http://desertblooms.nmsu.edu/), follow us on social media (@NMDesertBlooms), or contact your County Extension office (https://extension.nmsu.edu/county.html).

 

Bethany Abrahamson is the Cooperative Extension Agriculture Agent for Sandoval County.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Controlling Weedy/Invasive/Polleny Siberian Elm Trees

-
Image
LOOKING FOR IDEAS on   WHAT TO DO WITH  SIBERIAN ELMS AFTER REMOVAL?  I'll keep posting ideas HERE over time. đź‘Ť Southwest Yard & Garden  by guest author Dr. Leslie Beck   &  Dr. Marisa Thompson   Additional Info On This Noxious Weed Below Siberian elm seedlings can have a taproot that’s longer than the above-ground parts. Try to get all or most of the root when you pull them. Photo credit M. Thompson.   Question : What’s the best way to kill Siberian elm seedlings? - Mellene Pablo, Los Lunas Answer: I’m glad you’re asking this question when these weedy, invasive trees are small and relatively easy to control (emphasis on the “ relatively ”). We all know how precious shade is in New Mexico, and we love our trees for providing it, but weedy trees like Russian olive ( Elaeagnus angustifolia ) , tree of heaven ( Ailanthus altissima ) , salt cedar ( Tamarix spp. ) , and the Siberian elm are real problems across the state. Several tr...
Read more

Saving Zinnia Seeds

-
Image
Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson Zinnia showing off both disk and ray flowers at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center in Los Lunas. Photo credit M. Thompson     Question: I have a large monarch butterfly garden, and I gathered zinnia seed heads to plant next spring. Zinnia seeds appear to have two distinct morphologies. The ray flower seed is shield-shaped and the disk flower seed is smaller and flatter. Which of the seeds is viable? I have researched and found some who say only the ray seed, some say only the disk seed, and some say both. Please let me know which zinnia seed is most viable and why. -           Tim P., New Mexico Answer: I know exactly what you mean. I’ve had this question before myself. Zinnias were one of my first garden successes when I moved to Las Cruces in 2009. I too gathered the seed heads and I too wondered which part was the true seed that sho...
Read more

Diagnosing Trees with Oozing Sap… Again

-
Image
Southwest Yard & Garden by Dr. Marisa Thompson, with diagnoses by Phillip Lujan of the NMSU Plant Diagnostic Clinic Diagnosing Trees with Oozing Sap… Again (but this time, the sap is reddish-orange and doesn’t stink!) Reddish sap oozing from a plum tree at Bachechi Open Space in Albuquerque, March 2021. Photo credit M. Rehn. Question : Any idea what may be causing the sap to run out of some of these plum trees in the arboretum at Bachechi Open Space? -           Dustin C., Albuquerque Answer : This is turning out to be another one of those common questions that come in from all parts of the state. In the past two weeks, I’ve gotten photos of orange or red sap oozing from plum trees and a redbud in the Albuquerque area, an ash in Las Cruces, and I’ve taken a ton of pictures of plum, cherry, and peach trees with similar globs that have hardened after a few years in the sun. Are these weird amber blobs caused by borers or a plant path...
Read more