Mario Bautista
As the weather cools off in autumn, boxelder bugs start looking for a cozy spot to spend the winter, like your home, garage, or garden shed. These black-and-red insects are mostly harmless as indoor pests go, but you’ll want to know how to get rid of boxelder bugs since they can still be a nuisance when they sneak inside. Like their fellow fall pest, the brown marmorated stink bug, boxelder bugs like to congregate in large numbers. And though they won’t cause any structural damage, hundreds of insects sharing your space isn’t an appealing idea.
How to Get Rid of Boxelder Bugs
Use these tips and helpful hints to prevent boxelder bugs from entering your house.
1. Seal Up Cracks Around Doors and Windows
The best way to defend your home against boxelder bugs (and several other indoor pests) is to prevent them from coming inside in the first place. Make sure to weatherstrip your doors and windows and seal up any other apparent cracks or holes you find on the outside of your home, like torn window screens and openings around vents.
Boxelder bugs aren’t very big, so you likely won’t be able to seal your house against them completely, but blocking off a few obvious entry points can help reduce the number that gets inside.
2. Vacuum, Don’t Squash the Bugs
It’s tempting to squash these pests when you find them in your house, but that can cause more problems you don’t want to deal with. When squished, their orange-ish innards can leave stains on your walls, carpet, and flooring. Boxelder bugs can also release an unpleasant smell when crushed or otherwise disturbed. That odor helps them avoid predators outdoors, but it’s unpleasant to have it linger in your living room.
Vacuuming up boxelder bugs is a less messy solution. Just make sure to empty your vacuum into a sealed bag immediately, in case any of the bugs survived the trip, and try to crawl out. You can also try sweeping them back outside to reduce indoor populations. Be sure to clean out the vacuum filters with warm, soapy water when you’ve finished, and if you’re using a handheld model, clean out the dirt cup with a damp rag to remove any lingering bugs.
3. Skip the Pesticides
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, pesticides should be the last resort for getting rid of boxelder bugs. Over time, boxelder bugs have developed a resistance to many standard formulas. That means you won’t have much success using insecticides against them.
4. Make a Soap Spray
A simple solution made from soap and water will kill boxelder bugs. Add a tablespoon or so of liquid dishwashing soap to a spray bottle full of water and shake gently to combine. Spray the mixture directly on any bugs you see. The soap breaks down the bugs’ outer shells, so they dehydrate and die. You can also try knocking the insects into a bucket of soapy water, where they’ll drown.
5. Avoid Boxelder Trees
As their name suggests, these bugs love boxelder trees, a weedy type of maple native to North America. The seed-bearing female boxelder trees are a big draw for these insects, so if you have one or more in your yard, you could replace it with a tree that’s less attractive to these pests. If you want to keep boxelders in your yard, you can replace the female trees with male trees, which don’t produce seeds.
According to the University of Idaho, replacing these trees may reduce their numbers only slightly. The adults can travel a long way, so even a boxelder tree hundreds of yards away could host bugs that find their way to your house. Raking and disposing of the seeds that appear in spring could help cut down on the problem, though, because young boxelder bugs typically survive on fallen seeds early in the year.
6. Remove Hiding Spaces
Boxelder bugs seek shelter in stacks of wood, piles of leaves and rocks, and overgrown plants and bushes. To keep them away, clean up areas that might be inviting to them as a spot to take cover.
Remember, boxelder bugs may be annoying, but they won’t hurt you or damage your home. Keep your vacuum cleaner and soap spray handy for any pests you spot. When spring arrives, these insects will make their way outside again, where they belong.
