How to Get Rid of Boxelder Bugs Permanently (2021) is a book by Bob Vila.
I can offer you a complete and comprehensive guide to ridding yourself of these nasty pests.
The guide covers everything from identifying boxelder bugs to how to get rid of them naturally.
You can leave questions in the comments section and I will reply to them with my thoughts.
The first thing we need to do is make sure that you are dealing with a boxelder bug problem in your house and not trying to get rid of the wrong pest.Knowledge is power.
Boxelder bugs have three red stripes and vertical lines on their sides and wing edges.
During the warmer seasons, they are found in a warm, dry area during the winter.
They are mostly black in color with flat backs with orange lines.They can fly.
Female boxelders require plants such as trees, shrubs, leaves, and other shrubby areas to reproduce in your house.Unless you have a lot of indoor plants, this doesn't include inside your house.
They eat plants with sap, which is not typically eaten indoors.They use strong teeth and beaks to drain nutrition from plants, twigs and seeds.They will eat plants that are healthy.
The western boxelder does not have the orange wing veins of the common one.There are other ones that aren't as well known.
They are often found in large colonies because they give each other security and ease of reproduction.You will find a lot more if you find one.
Grouping is a survival technique that increases reproductive success, which is the most important hardwired goal of any organisms on the planet.
Large numbers offer better protection against predators because they will be scared away or only be able to eat a small portion of the colony while the rest escapes and hides.
It is the same reason as to why fish travel in schools.This helps ensure the survival of their species.
They eat trees, leaves, twigs, and other plant-based matter, but they rarely damage it enough to kill it.
Most of the time, they only feed on female maple trees.Maple trees are guaranteed to have boxelder bugs.
If you have boxelders in your backyard, you will likely see a colony of bugs migrate into your home during the cold season.
They use a straw-needle to suck out the plant's valuable resources.They like the seedpods found in the boxelder and maple trees.
They rarely will do enough harm to kill the tree, even though there are tons of them on it.
They eat fruit trees, berry plants, and other plants.The damage they do is not enough to kill the plant.
It is important to control boxelder bugs.If you live on a farm and sell crops, you can keep them pesticide-free by using some of the natural ways to get rid of boxelders.
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Terminix is one of the largest pest control companies in the US with a 100% satisfaction guarantee and alternative green control. They'll keep coming back for more treatments until the pests are completely eliminated.New customers get a $50 discount off select pest services. Call operators are available all the time.
New customers get a $50 discount off select pest services. Call operators are available all the time.
They like to feed on plants that are healthy.The young hatch from their eggs during the springtime in maple, fruit, and boxelder trees and are considered a pest for plants.
Smaller plants may suffer from them because they are so large.They only feed on female trees.It is hard to notice them until they seek shelter.
Boxelders do not come into your home for no reason.They can come inside for shelter due to temperature changes.
Boxelder bugs are similar to cluster flies in that they come into the warmer shelter which is typically found indoors.
Boxelder bugs come from the outdoors and can get inside your home through cracks, ceilings, doors, dryer vent, and even faucets.
Crevices, cracks, and breaks within the foundation of your house are easy targets for a boxelder to get into.It is important to make sure your home is protected from pests because this is the case for many other pests.
If the home faces a southern or western direction with lots of sunlight, it may be more susceptible to boxelders.Boxelder bugs are more likely to be found in taller buildings.
During the winter, they look for shelter in wall voids, doors, and windows in homes and other buildings.They are hard-wired to seek light in this position, so they will find a window that has a south or west-facing structure.
When the sun is out, you will likely see them because they think winter is over.If you have a sunny and warm day in the middle of winter, they will come out and look for food and light.
After the winter is over, they will look for trees and leaves to eat and breed a new generation of boxelders.
The boxelders feed on the juices found in the seedpods of maple trees.Boxelder maples are their favorite tree to eat and they have a mouthpart called a proboscis that they use to drink the juice of plants.
They can carry diseases if they touch one thing and another thing.If you have a lot of them in your home, they will be a real annoyance.
They can spread disease if you have a lot of them in your home.
Stink bugs and boxelder bugs look the same.We can rule out a few differences based on their appearance.
They are attracted to the warm air coming from the crevices and entryways of your home during the wintertime.During the winter, both seek warm shelter.
Boxelders can be found in trees or bushes when the weather is hot and dry.
During the fall, they gather on trees, twigs, and shrubs as they eat away at the plant and you can find them on the outside of buildings.
They will feed to stuff themselves and then look for a warm place to stay.They are looking for cracks to hide during the winter.
They use an unpleasant odor to attract other boxelders to their location so they can huddle up for the cold season.
You will smell the same when you crush them.If you kill a boxelder, you will notice a foul odor from the crushed bug.
They emerge from their hiding places in the spring.As the temperatures warm up, you will notice them by the dozens in your home.Eggs will be laid by the adults if they find host trees and plants.
This is typically a female maple tree, but they have been known to do the same with any plant as long as they meet their breeding requirements.
After the eggs are laid from the female boxelders, they hatch two weeks later as nymphs and begin eating the host plant.
They go through several procedures.They get darker in color as they get older.The life cycle starts all over again when the second generation looks for shelter for the next winter.
They want to find areas that are usually found in households.This is the reason you have a boxelder problem.They use foundations of buildings, leaf litter, and even woodpiles.
When cooler winter and fall weather arrives, boxelder bugs will gather together on the southern side of buildings, sidewalks, fences, trees, and rocks to warm themselves.
They will look for entry into your home.They are known to not be reproduced within a structure, but they will be a real annoyance as they come in huge numbers.
When the weather warms up, boxelder bugs will leave your home.
You will see a lot of them when they migrate as they look for a way out of your house.
They only become a pest when they come into your home and leave.Sometimes you can see a few here and there.
If you want a pest-free household, you should follow the techniques below.Since you are not taking the right action to get rid of them, they will enter your home again and again.
You should protect your home from boxelder bugs if they bother you.That is probably why you are here, right?
There are many ways to get rid of box elders, and you can do that with the ones on this list.
You can avoid paying the local exterminator for supplies and labor and do it yourself for a fraction of the cost by following through with determination and persistence.
There are a number of things you can do to eliminate them from your home.Future boxelders will not be able to get into your house, garden, garage, outhouse, attic, basement, or even farm if you protect it.
Before you want them dead and eliminated from your establishment, there is an important thing you should know.
Don't squash them.They leave a foul smell that can be difficult to clean up.It's a good idea to use a vacuum every now and then.
Don't use a paper towel, napkin, or bare hands to squash them.As soon as their smell hits your nose, you will be disgusted.
Natural solutions can be used to get rid of box elders in your home.
This is the most effective way of stopping the boxelder bug.
You won't have any boxelders to deal with when you seal your house properly because they will not be able to get inside.
It does take some work to bug-proof your home.It may take labor, cash, and time to fix your home if it has many entry points.
If applicable, here are some common entry points for boxelder bugs that you should inspect and patch up.
The most effective way to prevent future bugs is to use this method.It will take time, but it is the most efficient and cost-effective way to get rid of boxelders.
You can destroy their internals by breaking their protective coating on the boxelder.If you spread it around your property, they will come into contact with it.
To block boxelders, create a perimeter of borax around your home.They will get killed if they cross.
Fossilized materials are what make up this substance, and it is usually made for pools and gardens.Pests that come into contact with it will get their outer coating destroyed and eventually be killed by it.
Boxelder bugs are pests.After exposure to DE, the diatomaceous earth will get into their internals and kill them.
You can use it to your advantage.The boxelder bugs must touch the perimeter in order to enter your home.
Any boxelders that make it into your house will be killed by the time you get home.
This stuff can be spread on trees, patio, door frames, cracks, crevices, foundations, garage, wall voids, and windows around your property to protect against boxelder bugs.
It is important to purchase food grade diatomaceous earth so that it is safe for pets and kids.This is important for you and your family because boxelders will spread stuff around the house if they touch it.
It is important that it is food grade only in case it gets into your household objects.
It is cheap to make and effective for killing boxelder bugs with soapy water.You can mix soap and water and spray on bugs.
This won't kill them immediately, but will cause them to become dehydrated over time.They will be killed within a few hours.
This is a natural and safe way to reduce the boxelder population.Don't spray it into your consumables.
They are sucked into the vacuum and killed.The ones that don't die will be put in a bag or vacuum canister.Use the vacuum hose to suck them up and clean the house.
The hose should be used in hard-to-reach crevices.You can easily get rid of any box elders that are hiding by sucking them out of the crack and into the vacuum.
If you don't want to touch them or squash them with a paper towel, a vacuum approach is great.
Some people burn the vacuum bag.You will be fine if you dispose of the bag in a bin.
There are few recipes that you can use to make a spray that will kill boxelder bugs using essential oils.
They will leave the site where you sprayed if you use this essential mix.The cayenne pepper will keep them out of cracks and hide places where you spray.
The spray will kill them.The soap will break down over time and the citric will make them unable to migrate.The solution is good for hiding places that you can't reach.
Any pyrethrin-based spray will kill boxelders at any part of their life cycle.This means it works on adults.
It is possible to add pyrethrin to your essential oil sprays, but be careful because it can cause some minor symptoms.
There are ways to repel boxelder bugs.This is a safe and natural way to get rid of them.
The first step is to get a spray bottle.Other kinds of vinegar will stain after they evaporate.
If you see a boxelder bug congregation, spray your home.There are a number of areas where boxelder bug can be found in your home.
You should double-coat the areas you think boxelders will use to enter your home.There are likely to be maple trees here.You should spray the entryway.If possible, spray the tree itself.
You should spray where you think boxelders are moving.You should spray the path they are taking from the nearest maple tree to your home.
If you want to drive them away without leaving a bunch of dead box elders around, this is useful.It is completely safe for pets and children, so this is a very handy approach to getting rid of boxelder bugs.
This is an alternative to using dangerous pesticides which may pose a threat to your pets and kids.If you take proper precautions, hot water will kill boxelders.
You can heat up a pot of water or use a hot water boiler.Get a container made out of steel and fill it with boiling water.
You can pour it on the cracks in the soil where you can see boxelder activity.To stop them from breeding, pour the hot water down the cracks to kill the young bugs and the eggs.
It is possible to use water as an alternative to pesticides.Water will eventually evaporate and leave no trace that may be dangerous.This is a very effective and natural home remedy to get rid of box elders.
There are pests that will eat boxelder bugs.They are a boxelder killer if you have them roaming around.
Boxelders emit a nasty smell, so they may leave the colony after eating a few.
You can place a boxelder trap around your home.This won't get rid of them completely, but serves as a tool to gauge your progress
The boxelders are taking over your home if you don't trap them more.You should see less boxelders getting trapped as you progress.
You can use bug tape to lure them into it and it will trap them.At any hardware store, you can buy this tape.
It's a good idea to stick it where you can see a lot of pest activity.As needed, replace.There should be fewer bugs trapped over time.
If you have a maple tree in your garden, a lot of boxelders will migrate into your home.You can use sprays to reduce the population in the tree.
A basic essential oil recipe can be used to spray the tree if you don't want to cut it down.The boxelder population will be cut down by a ton.For more information, choose any of the oil recipes above.
A mixture of soap and water can be used to spray the tree.The boxelders will be killed and the population reduced.
You can always pick up a pest killer.If possible, choose natural, organic compounds.It will be safer for pets and kids.To keep things safe and eco-friendly, minimize the artificial ingredients in your insecticide.
You can either cut down the tree or get rid of it.The boxelder problem will be solved because they won't have a huge colony near your home.Maple trees are their favorite.You also have to get rid of the boxelders.
Commercial approaches can be used to eliminate them.When possible, use all-natural approaches.They are safer for you and your pets.
You can use bug spray to kill boxelders.As the directions state, use it.Many people want to use Sevin because they wonder if it works with boxedlers.
It doesn't work very well in my experience.The tree trunk had a ton of boxelders.The tree that was cut down was still busy with boxelder activity.The problem was that they were feeding off the debris around the tree.
Most didn't care for the pesticide, even though it killed some.If you have a lot of boxelder bugs, I suggest using an alternative bug spray.It has gone through many recalls after being shown to be very harmful to plants.
It doesn't mean it will work on boxelders.It's better to use something made for a specific category of bugs rather than a one size fits all bug killer.
They can kill off plants and trees, so be careful when applying them.These two will do the trick if you want a spray to kill box elders.
Laundry detergent can be used to kill boxelders.Put 3 parts water and 1 part detergent in a spray bottle.Boxelders will get killed if you spray directly on them.Their shell is dissolved by the detergent.
It's a good idea to be careful when spraying this stuff.If you consume detergent, it can cause harm to your home and furnishings.Pets and children should be watched.Use an organic detergent for this purpose.
The only way to get rid of boxelder permanently is to take simple measures to keep them out of your house.They can't get into your home.It is that simple.
The easiest way to guarantee a boxelder-free home is to patch all entryways.This includes covering the foundation cracks with caulk, repairing window/door frame gaps, and removing maple trees from your yard.
If you want to learn more about stopping them from entering your home, look at the other section.
You will have a 99% pest-free home after that.When you use your doors, they may enter if you have a lot of them.
If you don't kill the bugs immediately, they will escape into your home and start breeding.They breed fast.If you have a lot of them outside, be careful.If you want to repel pests, you can try seeding your trees.In this guide, you can find them above.
They are taking shelter in your house because of the cold outside.If you don't mind seeing them in your doors, windows, drapes, curtains, floors, carpets, and possibly even your bed, then you can just ignore them until spring comes.
If the temperatures don't pick up again, you can manually remove them with a vacuum or by hand.
Boxelders rarely carry diseases and rarely spread them.Measures should be taken to eliminate them and prevent future generations from coming back.
They won't hurt humans, bite, or damage your home, other than being a major annoyance.They will only do one thing, eat up plants here and there, and be annoying by being found in various places around your home.
I hope this guide will help you get rid of boxelder bugs.If you have questions about boxelder bugs in general, use the comments form and I will do my best to answer them as soon as possible.
If you have dealt with these pests before and have any words of wisdom, please post them in the comment section below to share with others who may benefit from them.
Let me know if you have successfully eliminated bugs from your home.Success stories are welcome.
An active researcher in the pest control industry for the past 8 years, with a focus on using natural and organic methods to eliminate pest problems.
I share techniques I use to help others and possibly save them from a mental breakdown.
Hi!This is a great website.I have a question about what to use on the boxelders.Have the Japanese hollies been attacked by my large boxwood around the driveway?Don't kill these while killing the bugs.Thanks, Deborah.
I was interested in finding ways to get rid of the fly problem without using harmful chemicals and pesticides.
There are a lot of do-it-yourself home remedies you can do for free without spending a dime.