Jonathan Hatch
How to Get Rid of Box Elder Bugs (Boxelder)
There is nothing worse than a house full of box elder bugs, otherwise known as boxelder beetles. They poop all over the place and you'll find their withered carcasses in the strangest places. If you want to keep boxelder bugs out of your home, here are some suggestions:
Natural & Organic Remedies:
Box Elder trees are what the boxelder bugs are really after. They feed on the sap and other fluids of the tree, but only the female tree. If you really want to keep boxelder bugs away from your house, you should look around for boxelder trees on your property. For those of us who are renting, it might be worth it to let the boxelder bugs cluster on your house and then bring the landlord out to see what the fuss is all about. Then tell him to remove the tree to get rid of the pests.
If that doesn't work, you can always choose one of the insecticides listed at the bottom of this page, and spray the bark of any boxelder trees you've found, as well as the ground near by (just to be safe).
Boxelder Beetle Control
The best way to avoid a boxelder problem is to prevent them from coming into your house during the Autumn months. They come into your home because they don't need to "sleep" through the winter if they stay warm.
Find the Box Elder bugs. Boxelders aren't hard to find because they tend to cluster around the areas where they're likely to get into your home.
Spray the Box Elder bugs. Some people say they have good luck with a half-and-half mix of laundry soap and water, spraying the clusters of bugs when needed. Personally, I use Raid and it works just fine.
Clean the Box Elder bugs out of the area by sweeping them up or vacuuming them out of the cracks. Make sure to sweep up debris around your house as well. Heaps of leaves and garbage are likely to give boxelder bugs incentive to nest near your home.
Seal Box Elder bugs out. You will want to seal the cracks where you discovered box elder bugs coming into your home. Caulking, barrier treatments, or insecticide dusts are common solutions.
Box Elder Bug Pesticides
The first sections was intended to make sure your house is boxelder bug free, to make sure you don't have any more problems the alternatives in the sidebar to the right can be helpful. Insecticides for boxelder bugs are not hard to come by, but the most effective usually contain one of the following chemicals:
Chlorpyrifos
Carbaryl
Diazinon
Propoxur
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