If your Lehi home is suddenly crawling with little rusty-red bugs every July, you're not imagining it, and you're not the only one. That bug has a name: the elm seed bug. It's the invasive bug in Utah that has homeowners across the state Googling "what is this thing," and it's one of the more common invasive bugs Lehi families run into all summer. Luckily, it can't hurt you or your house. It's a nuisance, plain and simple, and there's a lot you can do to cut it down.
Meet the Elm Seed Bug
The elm seed bug is a small insect, about a third of an inch long, with dark rusty-red and black coloring and an upside-down triangle pattern on its back. People often mix it up with the boxelder bug, since the two look alike and tend to show up around the same time of year. The elm seed bug is the smaller of the two, and its odor is the real giveaway.
It's a relative newcomer to the state. According to Utah State University Extension, the elm seed bug is native to Europe and was first confirmed in Utah in 2014. Since then it has spread across the Wasatch Front, including right here in Lehi. It feeds mostly on elm seeds, and with Siberian elms growing all over Utah, it has no shortage of food.
Why They Take Over Homes in Summer
Most nuisance bugs invade in the fall, but the elm seed bug does its own thing. Its peak season runs from mid-June through August, right in the heat of a Utah summer.
When temperatures climb, the bugs gather by the thousands on warm, sunny, south-facing walls, drawn to the heat coming off your home. Their bodies are extremely flat, so they squeeze through the smallest gaps in window tracks, door sweeps, and screens to reach the cooler air inside. You'll often see them massed on the window screens, hunting for a gap to slip through, and once a few get inside, they dart around in short, startling flights. They don't bite, sting, or damage your house, but they do have one nasty trick. When you crush one, it gives off a pungent smell a lot like bitter almonds. That's the reason to reach for the vacuum instead of your shoe.
How to Keep Elm Seed Bugs Out of Your Lehi Home
Because these bugs are so mobile, sprays on their own rarely solve the problem. Sealing them out works far better, and a few steps make a real difference:
- Seal the cracks and gaps around windows, doors, pipes, and utility lines where the bugs slip through.
- Make sure your window screens fit tightly, and your door sweeps leave no gap underneath.
- Vacuum up any bugs you find indoors or clustered outside, and skip crushing them to avoid the smell.
- Rake up the elm seeds that pile up near your foundation, since those piles draw the bugs in close.
- Remove any volunteer elm trees near the house if you can, which cuts off their favorite food source.
When to Get Some Backup
Elm seed bugs are more of an annoyance than a threat, but a few thousand of them on your house is a lot to handle on your own. If you'd rather not spend your summer battling them, pest control in Lehi can help you seal up the entry points and cut down the crowds. Book online in minutes with RIDD or call 833.378.0537, and get your Lehi home back to yourself.
