Box Elder Beetles Are Not Big, But ...

The beetle is about half an inch long and half as wide. They are not in any way detrimental to humans, like their other household counterparts like mosquitoes, flies or wasps. The one fact that makes them very much abhorred is that they release a very strong smell when they are stepped on, and this one fact alone makes them a very detested form of beetle. They could also stain your curtains with their feces and do seem to congregate in large numbers, which makes them quite a nuisance in a well kept yard. They do feed on fruits and cause them to get deformed and are therefore quite the enemies of fruit orchard owners. They are a prey for rodents and geese and the offensive odor they emit is their natural defense against these predators.