on top, and about 12 mm. long. There are also three red longi- 
tudinal stripes on the thorax; the margins of the basal half of the 
wings are red; and the abdomen is bright red. Nymphs are wing- 
less but possess wing pads and are dark toward the head. They 
have bright red abdomens. 
The winter is spent in the adult stage in dry, sheltered places, 
such as the attics of houses. During warm winter days, they be- 
come active and come out of hiding, only to retreat again when it 
turns cold. During the spring, they emerge and fly to their hosts 
where they deposit eggs on the leaves. Eggs also are occasionally 
laid on leaves or under the bark of other tree species, on stones, 
grass, litter, fences, and in doorway crevices. Eggs hatch in 11 to 
14 days and the nymphs feed in leaves, fruits, or soft seeds by 
inserting their beaks into the tissues. Feeding continues through- 
out the summer, or until the nymphs become adults. In some parts 
of the country the adults may emerge by midsummer, and give 
rise to a second generation that matures in the fall. 
The importance of the boxelder bug as a pest derives from its 
habit of invading houses in large numbers in search of shelter. 
Householders and supervisors of outdoor recreational areas and 
parks are often concerned. One way to reduce the problem is to 
remove the boxelder trees, particularly the female seed-bearing 
trees. The removal or spring burning of leaf litter also discour- 
ages the congregating of the insects (791). 
FAMILY LYGAEIDAE 
LYGAEID BUGS 
This is a rather large family, most members of which feed on 
mature seed. The adults are smal! insects, about 2 to 18 mm. long. 
Many are conspicuously marked with spots or bands of white, 
black, or red. Various plant-feeding species are found on her- 
baceous vegetation in the forest. One species, Kleidocerys resedae 
geminatus (Say), feeds on the catkins of yellow and gray birch, 
rhododendron, etc. 
FAMILY THAUMASTOCORIDAE 
Xylastodoris luteolus Barber, the reyal palm bug, is the only 
member of this family known to occur in the United States. It 
feeds on the royal palm, Roystonea regia, in southern Florida. 
Adults are pale yellow, flattened, and about 2 to 2.5 mm. long. 
Eggs are deposited on the undersurfaces of leaflet midribs, usu- 
ally on older trees. Feeding occurs on unfolded leafiets of newly- 
emerging fronds and to some extent the spike or projecting part 
of the terminal bud. Fronds exposed to heavy feeding may turn 
brown (32). 
Order HOMOPTERA 
Aphids, scales, mealybugs, etc. 
The order Homoptera consists of divergent groups, some of 
which are among the most common and abundant of all insects. 
Except for the cicadas, they are mostly small and inconspicuous. 
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