Boxelder beetles come from boxelder trees, most commonly occurring on female trees, as they produce seeds. The boxelder tree is a type of maple tree that has a distinctive characteristic of winged "helicopter" seeds. Boxelder beetles overwinter in plant debris and areas where they can get coverage from the weather. They are a half an inch long with black bodies, dark red eyes, and distinctive red markings on their abdomens and wings. They are sometimes mistaken for a “kissing bug” or even an assassin bug but are in fact different.