If you’ve been infested by box elder bugs or worried about large numbers of these bugs once the cold season starts, then it’s about time that you start doing preventative measures now. The main reason why these bugs get inside your home is that they tend to spend the winter inside small crevices.
These bugs became more active in previous years. Thus, alerting people about its presence.
They usually become more active once the warmer temperature starts. These bugs will come out of hiding to search for food and lay eggs. They will become more visible and seeing them gathering at one location is simply terrifying.
Preventing and Getting Rid of Boxelder Bugs
There are different things that you can do to prevent and remove these bugs from your home. Some of these things are the following:
· Carefully inspect your window and door screens for any tears, rips, or holes.
Go around your home and inspect for any problems with the screens covering windows and doors. Once you see damaged screens, make sure to repair or replace them immediately.
· Look for gaps around doors and windows.
As these bugs seek shelter they will look for all possible entry points to get in your home. So, make sure you replace any worn-out weather stripping around your home. These bugs can easily squeeze in through the smallest and tiniest crack and crevice just to find a hiding spot.
· Examine the exterior of your home closely for cracks and gaps.
Prepare your caulking gun and go around your house’s exterior and look for holes that must be covered. You should find holes in areas such as your roof, walls, and foundation. Make sure that you also check pipes and wire that enter your house.
· Fill in spaces outside of your house where two different materials meet.
If you have spaces where wood and stone or wood and brick meet, it is advisable that you have these areas filled in. This way, the bugs will not find an alternative shelter in your property.
· Start removing trees acting as homes to these bugs.
Box elder trees and maple trees are the ones attracting these bugs in your property. Since these bugs feed on seedpods, leaves, and fruits from female boxelder trees, it is recommended that you just get rid of these trees.
You should also remove other fruiting trees in your property since they can still attract these bugs. If you wish to plant a box elder tree, you can do so, but make sure that you choose males ones to avoid these pests from coming.
With these things in mind, you will have an idea on how you can actually save yourself from all the stress of handling these bugs.
What to Do About Bugs inside Your Home
There are various things you can do as you start noticing these bugs getting inside your home. Some of the things that you can do are:
1. Vacuum
Instead of crushing the bugs wherever you find them inside your home, you can just vacuum them. Once you’re done, you can dump the insects inside a garbage bag and then crush them there. This way, they won’t get away and spread again inside your home.
You can then sprinkle some diatomaceous earth in entry points once you’ve completely captured the bugs.
2. Spray insecticide
It is advisable that you get a residual insecticide that is made from environment-friendly ingredients instead of those with harsh chemicals. This can slowly kill boxelders, but guarantees result. Just make sure that you take extra precautions when using insecticide around your home.
3. Soapy water
Create your own spray by using a dish soap with a degreaser and water. This is a simple yet effective pest control method you can use for visible bugs in your home. The mix will stick to the wings of the bugs and stops them from flying around. After a day or two, you will notice the decrease in the number of bugs.
