Q: We have a silver maple in our back yard that seems to be a real poplar hangout for boxelder bugs. Is there anything we can do to persuade them to move along besides using pesticides?

A: If you don’t want to spray insecticide, the next option is to modify their environment to encourage them to move away. They eat maple seeds so do the best you can to remove seeds from the tree when they form and from the ground when they fall. The insects like to congregate under leaves and groundcover beneath the tree. Keep your mulch thin and groundcover plants cut as close to the ground as possible. This exposes the boxelder bugs to predators.