Western Conifer Seed Bugs Are Sneaking Into Montana Homes Again

You know it’s officially fall in Montana when the leaves start to turn, the air smells like fireplace smoke in the evening, and mystery bugs start dive-bombing your house. If you’ve spotted a long-legged, scary-looking brownish insect crawling on your window this week, congratulations, you’ve met the Western Conifer Seed Bug.

These 3/4-inch long, alien-like insects have been covering our office windows on the 23rd floor this week, and they're sneaking inside the building too - I've killed three in my office so far.

Read More: Boxelder Bugs in Montana - Annoying, But Harmless

Western Conifer Seed bugs are the freeloaders of the insect world.

All summer, they hang out in pine trees, sucking on seeds and minding their business. But the second the temperature drops, they suddenly decide they’d rather spend the winter inside your house.

Here's the good news: They don’t bite, they don’t sting, and they don’t eat your food.  They just want to overwinter somewhere warm, ideally near your TV or window blinds. Often mistaken for "stink bugs," they're not. In fact, if you crush one, you’ll get a faint piney odor.

Western Conifer Seed Bugs are easy to recognize: long legs with little leaf-shaped pads, a narrow body, and a tendency to fly like they’re holding a learner’s permit. The ones in our building mostly just crawl around the windows (inside and out), and other than looking scary, they seem pretty chill.

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To keep them out, make sure your window screens fit snugly, check door seals, and fill any gaps around vents and siding. A vacuum works great for evicting them; no need for chemical sprays.

Like a lot of Montanans, these bugs just want to hunker down somewhere cozy until spring. Unfortunately, that “somewhere” is usually your home.