Boxelder bugs are considered a nuisance pest. They do not carry or transmit diseases. They do not sting. They do have piercing mouth parts for eating plants and fruits. They can bite if provoked but this is very rare and you would kind of be asking for it if you are picking them up and handling them. They do not cause damage to homes and damage to plant life is not usually significant. They can leave a mess behind though, as their feces will stain light-colored surfaces.

Boxelder bugs present problems for homeowners in late fall when it begins to get too cold outdoors for them. The boxelder bugs will find their way into attics, screened-in porches, between window panes, behind vinyl siding, and anywhere else they can gain access to a warm safe place to hibernate through winter. This could be just a handful of boxelder bugs or it could be hundreds of them. You may wake up one morning to a living room full of these things on the walls. This can make a mess but as we stated before they don’t pose a health risk to humans.