It's that "stupid bug" time of the year again

If it's fall and sunny, it's time for the beetle I call the "stupid bug."

Technically, they're called box elder bugs, but I call them "stupid bugs," because you can remove them easily, if they get in your house, by encouraging them to walk onto an envelope or piece of stiff paper and simply carrying them outside. Even though they can fly, they stay on the paper until you deposit them outside. Hence, "stupid bugs."

Here are a couple of photos. Compare them with the photo from that link above.






Why do I bother removing them? Well, as I often say, I'm basically a pacifist, so I catch insects, take them outside, and release them with a warning. Mosquitos are one of the few exceptions to that practice.