How to Get Rid of Boxelder Bugs: 3 Steps

 

During the warm months, the small orange and black insects known as boxelder bugs go mostly unnoticed. However, once the leaves start to turn and temperatures drop, these annoying, odor-causing pests begin to emerge in search of warmth, often in disturbingly large numbers. You’ll usually spot them hanging out in clusters on the sunny sides of trees and the south-facing exterior of your house. Even worse, as the weather continues to cool, these large groups—often numbering in the hundreds, sometimes thousands—will look to move inside your home.

A few dozen boxelder bugs outside is a nuisance, a few dozen boxelder bugs indoors is a seriously messy problem, in some cases even a health hazard. In addition to the foul scent they emit when threatened, indoor boxelder bugs can quickly spread excrement, hard-to-remove stains, and dead bugs all throughout your home. To make matters worse, their yucky smell tends to attract additional bugs, and not just more boxelder bugs, but damaging pests like carpet beetles, too. In other words, things can get out of hand quickly.

Given their large numbers and resistance to many traditional pesticides, boxelder bugs can be difficult to get under control. But don’t worry—we have your back. Below you’ll find 3 simple steps for preventing and getting rid of boxelder bugs, both inside and outside your home.

 

Like with any pest problem, the easiest, least expensive, and most impactful way to control boxelder bugs is prevention. Here’s how to do it:

SEAL YOUR HOME

Without question, this is the most important step for preventing indoor boxelder problems. If you have boxelder bugs nearby and your home’s not adequately sealed, it’s only a matter of time before you find dozens of these stinky pests indoors.

Perform a thorough check of your home’s exterior, looking closely for holes in siding, poorly sealed doors and windows, cracks in the foundation, etc—any potential entry points boxelder bugs could use to sneak inside. Then simply use caulk, weatherproofing tape, spray foam, or another appropriate material to repair any holes, cracks, or crevices you find. 

REMOVE POTENTIAL HIDEOUTS & FOOD

Boxelder bugs commonly use organic clutter like stacked wood, piles of mulch, leaves, overgrown shrubbery, and rock piles to overwinter and escape the coming cold. If these attractants are in your yard, you’re far more likely to experience larger boxelder populations, both indoors and out. As fall approaches, do yourself a favor and remove all unnecessary clutter from your yard and stay up on lawn maintenance until at least winter. 

Of course the biggest attractant for boxelder bugs is their favorite food source, boxelder seeds. If you have boxelder trees near your home, regularly scan your yard for their seed pods and promptly remove them to deter future boxelder bugs. 

PROTECT YOUR LAWN & MAPLE TREES

Boxelder and other maple trees are the primary breeding site, food source, and shelter for boxelder bugs. By making these trees and the surrounding areas inhospitable to unwanted pests, you can prevent large boxelder bug populations from taking hold.

First, treat your entire lawn, including shrubbery and bases of trees with the family-safe Lawn & Garden Kit monthly until winter arrives. If you’re currently experiencing a heavy boxelder bug problem, treat your entire outdoor space twice, two weeks apart, and then move on to monthly applications after that. For additional protection, sprinkle diatomaceous earth at the bases of your maple trees throughout the summer and fall. 

ATTRACT BOXELDER BUG PREDATORS

One of the easiest and most natural methods for both preventing and getting rid of boxelder bugs involves attracting their natural predators to your lawn & garden. Installing a few bird feeders and baths is typically sufficient and the results should come fairly quickly. Spiders are also effective, so if you don’t mind having a few harmless webs outside your home, leave them to do their work—they’ll help control other unwanted pests, too. 

 

TREAT YOUR LAWN

Healthier lawns with fewer pest problems are far more resilient to additional bug populations, boxelder bugs included. 

By treating your lawn with a family-safe pesticide monthly, you can kill and repel harmful bugs like mosquitoes, ants, fleas, ticks, and chiggers, which in turn will help keep other pests like boxelder bugs under control.

Start by thoroughly spraying your entire front, back, and side yards with PCO Choice, including shrubbery and bases of trees. For best results, repeat this process in two weeks and then move on to monthly applications afterward.

If you live in a warmer region like the South, applications should be done every month unless the temperature drops below freezing for more than a few weeks. If you live in a state prone to cold spells, start spraying monthly in late February and then taper off in late November as winter begins in earnest.

Because PCO Choice is plant-based and family-safe, no downtime is necessary. You, your family, and pets can enjoy your lawn right after application!

For additional protection, we strongly advise spreading Cedar Granules throughout your outdoor space, especially in and around maple trees and wherever else boxelder bugs congregate. 

SPRAY THEM

As fall approaches and boxelder bugs surface in alarmingly large numbers, they tend to collect in clusters on the southern sides of trees and buildings in search of warmth. Trust us, it’s not a fun experience to have a few hundred boxelder bugs just hanging out on the side of your home, leaving behind a yucky mess of droppings and dead, decaying bugs. 

Thankfully, there’s an easy, quick, and natural way to break up these annoying gatherings. Just turn your garden hose to full force and give any boxelder bug clusters you come across a quick blast of water. That’s all there is to it. While this won’t solve your boxelder bug problem outright, it can substantially decrease their numbers.

 

VACUUM THEM

Once boxelder bugs find their way indoors, it can be tricky to get them out. Firstly, crushed boxelder bugs are notorious for staining fabrics, painted walls, and other surfaces. Secondly, when scared or harmed, boxelder bugs emit a noxious odor that can leave your home reeking for weeks. In other words, sweeping them out or gathering them by hand is out of the question. Vacuuming, on the other hand, is a quick, easy, and mess-free way to get boxelder bugs out of your home immediately. Just make sure to thoroughly empty and clean the interior of your vacuum after each use. 

REPEL THEM

To keep bugs outside where they belong during fall and winter, spray trouble areas and known entry points like window sills, doorways, countertops, kitchens, bathrooms, and more with Cedarcide Original weekly, or more often as needed.

To kill any bugs you find indoors, spray them directly with non-toxic Cedarcide Original and then simply wipe them up with a paper towel. 

 

 

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These Are the Fall Pests You Need to Worry About

 

Fall’s here which means a whole list of new bugs are trying to move inside your home as they attempt to escape the cold. Here are the pests you’re most likely to encounter this season and essential tips for preventing them.

 

The chirp of crickets can be a seasonal pleasure, but when your home’s haunted with that noise all night long, it’s certainly an unwelcome intrusion. A home full of dozens of dead and decaying crickets is really gross, too. Did we mention they also eat holes in clothing, bedding, furniture, rugs, and other fabrics?

 

We know they can be a bit scary, but nearly all spiders are harmless and actually beneficial, helping keep indoor insect populations to a minimum. But as the weather cools, spiders’ mating season begins which tends to bring them out of hiding and in larger numbers than usual. As helpful as they can be, no one wants a home full of spiders and webs for the holidays.

 

As fall kicks in, centipedes are more likely to move indoors, as they search for food, moisture, and shelter from the coming cold. There’s just something about their numerous legs and the way they scuttle about that makes centipedes extra creepy. But thankfully, just like spiders, centipedes are normally allies, helping rid our homes of other creepy crawlies, spiders included. However, it is important to mention that some, especially larger individuals, can pack a seriously painful bite, so do exercise caution around them.

 

If you’ve ever spotted unexplained holes in your clothing, rugs, or bedding, don’t be so quick to blame moths. There’s a good chance these silvery wingless bugs are the real culprits. In addition to closets and other storage spaces, you might notice silverfish in basements, kitchens, and bathrooms, where they congregate to grab a quick drink.

 

The larvae of a small brown moth, fall armyworms are one of the most destructive lawn & garden pests in the U.S., capable of stripping an entire yard of its plant life in a single night. One fall evening your lawn is beautiful and healthy, and the next morning it’s an ugly, dying patch of brown grass and dirt.

 

If you’ve noticed wasps or wasp nests near your home in the spring and summer, you need to be extra cautious during fall and winter. During the colder months, wasps become more active and also more aggressive as they prepare their colonies for chillier conditions. During this time, you, your family and pets are far more likely to incur painful, and in some cases dangerous, stings.

 

While stink bugs are especially bad in the Northern U.S., they’re slowly becoming more of an issue across the entire country. As we enter fall, these bugs emerge from their hiding places in alarmingly large numbers in search of warm places to overwinter for the season. During this time, it’s not uncommon to see hundreds of stink bugs gather on the southern sides of homes, barns, and other outbuildings. And if they happen to find a small crack or crevice to move indoors, you might just find yourself sharing a home with several dozen of these foul-smelling pests.

 

Similar to stink bugs, boxelder bugs are relatively harmless but also a serious nuisance—they’re infamous for producing a terrible odor, too. Also like stink bugs, they can appear in surprisingly large numbers as the weather cools, blanketing the exterior of your home. And, if you allow them entryways, they’ll gladly take residence inside as well.

 

Sure, these damaging, disease-carrying pests can live in our homes, garages, and outbuildings all year long, but they become particularly bad as winter nears and they’re desperate for warm shelter. In addition to the obvious sanitation problems they create, rats and mice can cause expensive household damage as they chew through walls, clothing, electrical wires, and more.

 

The following preventative tips will substantially reduce the number of fall bugs you find both inside and outside your home

• In addition to warmth, fall bugs move indoors in search of food and water. Keeping your home clean and free of food debris and excess moisture can substantially limit the number of bugs you see indoors during fall and winter.
• Attracting predators like birds to your lawn is an effective and natural way to curb fall bug populations. Baths and feeders will usually do the trick. 
• Arguably the most effective way to keep fall pests outside where they belong is to make sure your home is properly sealed. Start by doing a slow and thorough check both inside and outside for possible entryways like cracks, crevices, holes, etc. Look closely at windows, doorways, baseboards, fixtures, outlets, foundations, basements, and attics. Then simply use spackle or caulk to patch any entry points you find. You might want to consider installing seals at the bottom of doors and garages, too. 
• Limiting sources of light just outside your home can significantly reduce fall bug numbers. We strongly suggest trading traditional outdoor light bulbs for those that don’t attract bugs, such as yellow compact fluorescent lights (CFL), sodium vapor bulbs, or halogen options. 
• Treat your entire yard, including shrubbery and bases of trees, with the family-safe Lawn & Garden Kit monthly until you experience several weeks of freezing conditions. 
• Spray known bug hangouts and potential entry points like doorways, windowsills, baseboards, etc every other week with Cedarcide Original. 

 

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