• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Plant for Success

Plants, Lawn, Landscape

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Home
  • About
    • About Me
    • Contact Me
  • Lawn
  • Plants
  • Landscape
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

The Conifer Seed Bug: Identify, Prevent, and Remove

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links , meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click and make a purchase.

posted on November 2, 2020 2 Comments

The Conifer Seed Bug can cause a lot of concern as they try to make their way into your house. Learn how to identify, prevent, and remove these insects as well as others.

During the fall it’s not uncommon to see the Western Conifer Seed Bug lingering around your homes exterior. These insects were first discovered in the Western United States, but over time have made their way east.

The Seed Bug can be a disturbing site as they invade space around windows and doorways, usually on the sunnier sides of your home. Their main mission is to find a nice warm place to spend the winter months.  They attempt to enter your home through it’s most vulnerable spots i.e., small cracks near windows and doors.

What Do Seed Bugs Look Like?

The Western Conifer Seed Bug has a body length of about 3/4”. It has several color variations along its body, ranging from light tan, to orange, and dark brown. The seed bug often gets confused with similar looking insects such as kissing bugs, or stink bugs. Seed bugs however can easily be identified by 3 unique characteristics:

1. The hind legs are distinctly widened for a small section toward the end of the leg.

2.  There’s a pale white zig zag pattern on the wings.

3. Overall body is more lengthy as opposed to round.

Seed Bug Vs. Stink Bug

A lot of people mistakenly call Seed Bugs Stink Bugs. Perhaps the biggest reason is that when you kill a Seed Bug by squishing it, it will stink, just as bad as a Stink Bug. So people tend to refer to the two insects as being the same even though they are different:

You can see the Stink Bug is much rounder.

Another reason people tend to treat these two insects as the same is because other then some physical differences they are very similar in behavior.

Both Seed Bugs and Stink Bugs will try to enter your house when the weather is getting cold in fall. They will also become active in early spring and may try to enter your home in spring to avoid some of the colder days during the spring season.

They both usually seem to be lounging around, barely moving. When they do move they prefer to crawl slowly.

Another similarity is both don’t bite and overall they are harmless to humans.

Damage

Although creepy looking, Seed Bugs will not damage your home. They can however be a nuisance pest to your local ecosystem. Since adults feed on the seeds within pine cones, they prevent conifers from growing which can have negative effects in woodland ecosystems.

Lifecycle

In spring/early summer, adult Seed Bugs come out of their winter hide outs and feed on pinecones and seeds. After this period of feeding, Seed Bugs lay eggs on the needles of conifers.

After 10 days the eggs will hatch and the nymphs feed on pine cone scales and needles.

By mid August these nymphs become fully grown.

In early fall these adult Seed Bugs look to enter buildings and homes so they have a warm place to spend the winter so the cycle can start over again in the spring.

How to Get Rid of Seed Bugs

Manual removal is the best method for getting rid of these slow moving insects. If you find a Seed Bug inside your home, use a paper towel to pick it up and flush it down the toilet, or release back outside.

Another method is to fill a bowl with soapy water and use a paper towel to place them in the bowl.

Whatever you do, do not crush Seed Bugs in the paper towel, just pick them up gently. This will minimize the odor they give off. Crushing them is the worst thing you can do because they will give off a more intense odor.

Some people vacuum up Seed Bugs using a shop vac, and then release them outside. This isn’t the worst method, but it can still agitate them enough to release their odor.

How to Prevent Seed Bugs from Entering House

Preventing Seed Bugs from entering your house is much better then dealing with them once inside. The best part is if you follow these prevention steps you’re not only preventing Seed Bugs from entering, you’re preventing other home invaders such as Stink Bugs, Kissing Bugs, Lady Bugs, other insects.

1. Latch windows! Sounds simple enough but you’d be surprised how many people go through an entire winter with their window closed, but not latched. You can see as you latch your window how much tighter it seals the frame. Latching your window will likely decrease gaps by 1/4”. That’s all the space an insect needs to get through.

2. Caulk around windows, doors, pipe penetrations, and any other void along the exterior of your house. It’s not just windows and doors that insects can get through. Carefully inspect your home’s exterior for any small cracks or openings.

3. Make sure screens are in place and repair any that are damaged. This adds another barrier to your windows.

4. Apply insecticide barrier sprays on outside of house. This should be used as a last resort for more serious infestations. Products that contain the chemical Permethrin have been proven to prevent Seed Bugs. This insecticide should be used as a barrier spray and sprayed around your homes foundation, doors, and window frames, all on the exterior of your house.

5. Hire a pro! Hiring your local bug guy is always a great idea if you think you have an infestation that requires extra attention. There’s never anything wrong with getting some professional opinions. A local, licensed company will be up to date on local restrictions and codes and will be able to give you the best advice on how to treat the problem.

Check Out These Posts Next

Fall Lawn Care Tips

White Grubs: Prevention and Treatment

Fall Gardening Tips

Protecting Evergreens from Winter Burn

Starting Seeds Indoors

When to Prune Hydrangeas

Follow Me

Join my free email list!

Plus, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Filed Under: Landscape

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Linda says

    December 9, 2020 at 5:23 pm

    Hi Mark. Thank you for helping me identify this pesky bug that’s been taunting me for months! My office is on the sunny side of the house which explains why I’ve encountered more of these pests than my parents who are located on the opposite side of the house.

    I have been captureing these little buggers one by one and returning them to the great outdoors using a plastic cup and paper plate. I know I’m awful but I secretly hope they’re a light snack for a hungry bird!

    Anyways, I would say I’m removing these at least three to four times a week. I will take your advice and check the seals on the windows and the latches. However, I must confess that I’m a bit of an alarmist when it comes to crawly things. Should I be concerned that there’s breeding going inside the house and that these bugs will eventually invest it?

    Thanks for any advice you can give!

    Best,

    Linda

    Reply
    • Mark says

      December 9, 2020 at 5:52 pm

      Hi Linda! I can’t believe how many I have around my house this year too! They have just started to calm down over here in NH since the temperatures have dropped. One thing I can assure you is that you don’t have to worry about them mating inside your house. They go outside in the spring and lay eggs on needles and leaf stems. If there’s one positive in all this is if they get into your house they really don’t do much. They won’t be multiplying, or chewing wires or anything like that.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search

Hi, I’m Mark

I’m here to share my favorite lawn and landscape tips, and general love of plants and dirt! Join me in the backyard and discover how you can plant your way to a successful landscape. Welcome to … more about About Me

Follow Me

Subscribe!

Most Popular

  • When to Prune Hydrangeas
  • Top Dressing Lawn: Benefits and Advice
  • How to Kill Crabgrass

Footer

Featured Posts

man spreading winterizer fertilizer over green lawn

Winterizer Fertilizer: Everything You Need to Know

The last fertilizer application of the season is an important one, but do you need to use a winterizer fertilizer? Here’s what you need to know about your last fertilizer application.

Fall Lawn Care Tips

A healthy lawn in spring starts in the fall.  Follow these fall lawn care tips to successfully overwinter your lawn and watch it surge with green growth in the spring.  

man hitting landscape fabric stake with a hammer

How to Install Landscape Fabric

Learn how to install landscape fabric so it can do its job without becoming visible over time. 

Featured Posts

man laying woven landscape fabric

Should I Use Landscape Fabric

There’s a lot of conflicting advice when it comes to landscape fabric. Check out this guide on when to use landscape fabric and when to avoid it.

edging garden bed using a flat edging shovel

How to Edge a Garden

 Most homeowners struggle to get clean, well defined garden edges. But using this simple tutorial, you can learn to edge a garden like a pro.

Japanese Beetle eating leaf and causing damage

Japanese Beetles: Control and Prevention

Japanese Beetle control and prevention is key to protecting ornamental shrubs, flowers, vegetables, and fruit plants. 

Featured Posts

drip irrigation line dripping drops of water

Advantages of Drip Irrigation

If you’re looking for a better way to irrigate plants and vegetables then consider the advantages of drip irrigation.

white clover in a lawn

How to Kill Clover

Clover can be one of the hardest lawn weeds to control. But with the right strategy, and products, you can kill clover and prevent it from coming back. 

how to kill dandelions in lawn

How to Kill Dandelions

Dandelions can completely take over your lawn. Learn how to kill dandelions and prevent them from coming back.

Copyright © 2021 · Lifestyle Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in · Privacy Policy