Question: What are the black and red insects that are all over my boxelder trees? How can I control them?

Answer: Appropriately, they’re “boxelder” bugs. Along with squash bugs and stink bugs, they’re identifiable by their shield-shaped backs. This entire group of insects, classed by entomologists as true “bugs,” is difficult to control. There are insecticides that are labeled for them, but, unless it’s an important part of your landscape, it may be easier simply to remove the boxelder tree. For the record, they do no damage to the trees. There simply are so many of them that they become a nuisance.