- Golden rain trees aren't the only hosts for the soapberry bug. They are also attracted to chinaberry, balloonvine and heartseed vine and have been found on Ficus and rose of Sharon. Some sightings may be erroneous as the bug resembles the common boxelder bug.
- The University of Florida extension service reports two species of Jadera are found in Florida, the most common being Jadera haematoloma. J. Antica has only been collected in Monroe, Miami-Dade and Osceola counties.
The Jadera bugs are common in Florida and have been reported in Hawaii, Texas, California and some southeastern and central states. They are also found in Mexico, Central America, the West Indies and Colombia. - The golden rain tree bug is often confused with two members of the same insect family, the boxelder bug (Boisea trivittus) and cotton stainer bugs (Dysdercus suturellus).
The golden rain tree bug has red eyes, red shoulders, and a red border area around its abdomen. Adults are about 1/2-inch long, 1/3-inch wide and flat.
Boxelder bugs can be identified by the red line behind their head and their red wing edges. Cotton stainer bugs have a red triangle behind their head, between the forewings, with whitish edges on their wings. - The bugs do no damage to plant life and are food for birds, lizards, frogs and other insects, so one of the best controls is to let the swarm run its course. However, if you feel you must kill them, environmental controls, such as raking up the seeds of the host trees is a way to eliminate their food source and keep them from multiplying. Insecticidal soap is an effective organic control. Once the bugs enter the home or other structure, they are much more difficult to eliminate.
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