One of the stranger signs of fall in Massachusetts can appear right on the outside of a house. Large brown insects may suddenly begin crawling across window screens, resting on siding, or gathering near doors just as the landscape is turning orange and red and the first genuinely cold nights begin to arrive.
Their appearance can be confusing because they do not look quite like the typical insects people associate with New England homes. They have long antennae, an elongated brown body, and unusual flattened sections on their back legs that look almost like tiny leaves.
Those distinctive insects are often western conifer seed bugs. They spend much of the warmer season outdoors around conifers, but as Massachusetts moves deeper into autumn, the changing weather can bring them toward houses in search of warmth and protection…