Red shouldered bugs & Golden rain tree - Ask Extension
Hi CSU extension,
I live in Denver (Wash Park) and we have a Golden Rain Tree in our front yard. The tree attracts Red Shoulder Bugs which have inf...
Knowledgebase
Red shouldered bugs & Golden rain tree #882775
Asked August 23, 2024, 11:37 PM EDT
Hi CSU extension,
I live in Denver (Wash Park) and we have a Golden Rain Tree in our front yard. The tree attracts Red Shoulder Bugs which have infested our yard and are making their way into our garage and house. I spoke with my aunt who is a master gardener for the Iowa State Extension and she recommended I reach out to you. Is there anything I can do to mitigate the bug infestation? I’ve heard the tree itself is invasive — do we need to have the tree removed? Looking for advice!
Denver County Colorado
Expert Response
Hi Laura,
Thanks for your question.
First off, The Golden Raintree is not considered invasive in Colorado and is one of the small ornamental trees recommended for Colorado Front Range Communities.
https://static.colostate.edu/client-files/csfs/pdfs/trees_for_frontrange.pdf
It is important to note, however, that the seeds from the this tree are considered toxic if ingested.
Golden Raintree are very prone to infestation by the red shoulder bug as you have noticed. They do little harm to the tree but are a nuisance. In the fall, they move into the garage or crawl space of our home looking for a warm protected location to reproduce and over-winter. Removing the tree is certainly an option and will get rid of the red shoulder bug problem.
Picking them off by hand and drowning them in soapy water is one method of control. Spraying the insects with soapy water (5 Tbs of liquid detergent to 1 Gal of water) will also kill them. This spray will damage the leaves of the tree, but can be sprayed on the bark without harm. For large congregations in the garage, you could use a shop vac to collect them. Just be sure you have a method to destroy them when you have finished. If it is a wet/dry vac, you could put the soapy water in the bottom of the tank. Just be sure that the filter is installed to prevent sucking the insects into the motor.
Good luck.
Thanks for your question.
First off, The Golden Raintree is not considered invasive in Colorado and is one of the small ornamental trees recommended for Colorado Front Range Communities.
https://static.colostate.edu/client-files/csfs/pdfs/trees_for_frontrange.pdf
It is important to note, however, that the seeds from the this tree are considered toxic if ingested.
Golden Raintree are very prone to infestation by the red shoulder bug as you have noticed. They do little harm to the tree but are a nuisance. In the fall, they move into the garage or crawl space of our home looking for a warm protected location to reproduce and over-winter. Removing the tree is certainly an option and will get rid of the red shoulder bug problem.
Picking them off by hand and drowning them in soapy water is one method of control. Spraying the insects with soapy water (5 Tbs of liquid detergent to 1 Gal of water) will also kill them. This spray will damage the leaves of the tree, but can be sprayed on the bark without harm. For large congregations in the garage, you could use a shop vac to collect them. Just be sure you have a method to destroy them when you have finished. If it is a wet/dry vac, you could put the soapy water in the bottom of the tank. Just be sure that the filter is installed to prevent sucking the insects into the motor.
Good luck.
