Assassin Bug Control

Most Effective Products

Supreme IT Insecticide
Suspended Concentrate
As low as $54.99
FiPro Foaming Aerosol
Aerosol
As low as $28.99
Stuf-Fit Copper Mesh Exclusion
Ready-To-Use
As low as $10.99
Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules
Granular
As low as $32.99
Keith's Pro Tips

"Using multiple products is your best bet against Assassin Bug control rather than relying on one treatment product. For instance, if the Supreme IT treatment doesn't kill the Assassin Bug, the Fipro Aerosol treatment will."

Assassin Bug Control: How to Get Rid of Assassin Bugs

This page is a general Assassin Bugs control guide. Using the products and methods suggested you will get control of Assassin Bugs. Follow this guide and use the recommended products and we guarantee 100% control of Assassin Bugs.

Assassin Bugs are insects that have steadily become a growing issue within homes and businesses. Depending on the species, they can vary in appearance, but they all share the following traits: an elongated head, long thin legs, and an extended piercing mouthpart they use to attack their prey.

They are commonly found outdoors around gardens where they eat a variety of insects. However, Assassin Bugs can very easily enter a home in search of dark, secluded areas where it is cool. If your yard offers them an ample supply of insects, they might set up camp, and due to their attraction to lights, might slip into your home.

Assassin Bugs are capable of nasty bites which can create allergic reactions. Kissing Bugs, a species of Assassin Bug, is known to spread a parasite that causes Chagas disease, a potentially fatal illness for humans. For this reason, it's important to carry out a control program if you've discovered Assassin Bugs in or around your home.

Identification

how to get rid of assassin bugs

Before you can carry out treatment, you need to be sure that the pest you are dealing with is an Assassin Bug and not some other insect. Misidentification can lead to using the wrong treatment methods and products, which can end up being a large waste of time and money.

  • Assassin Bugs can be identified by their long and narrow heads and by their elongated mouthparts which they use to pierce and suck fluids out of their victims (usually insects). There are over 7,000 species and their identification can be tricky. It is better to identify them by the areas where they are most commonly found and by their size. 
  • Indoors you're more likely dealing with Kissing Bugs and Milkweed Assassin Bugs. Kissing Bugs are about 1 inch in length and are generally dark-colored with colorful orange markings around their body. Milkweed Assassin Bugs measure about 16 to 18 mm in length and are known to overwinter in homes.
  • Outdoors you're probably contending with Wheel Bugs and Ambush Bugs. Ambush Bugs have shorter heads than most assassin bugs and front legs that look similar to praying mantis legs. Wheel Bugs are the biggest Assassin Bugs measuring about 1 1/2 inch in length. They have a cog-wheel shaped crest on their body, which is how to they got their name.

If you cannot determine your exact species of Assassin Bug you are dealing with, then continue on, this guide will treat both indoor and outdoor Assassin Bug issues.

Inspection

how to get rid of assassin bugs

Once you have confirmed that you are dealing with Assassin Bugs, you can move on to inspection. During this phase, you will need to find out where the Assassin Bugs are located, how they may be entering your structure, and the places they are infesting. This will help you in determining where to focus your treatment application.

Where To Inspect

Indoors you're looking for cracks and crevices where Assassin Bugs may hide. Outdoors is where you'll have better luck. Search in flower beds, mulch, leaf litter, yard debris, woodpiles, and under rocks. 

What To Look For

You're looking for Assassin Bugs and possible entry points. Indoors they might be less common to find, but outdoors near landscaping and flowerbeds is where you want to focus your inspection. If you have already seen your fair share of Assassin Bugs focus your search on possible entry points in your structure. Look around the foundation of your home for any cracks and crevices they might use to get inside. Note the locating where you have seen the Assassin Bugs. These will be the places where we will apply treatment.

Treatment

Once you have confirmed Assassin Bug activity it is time to begin treatment. Remember to first read all product labels and follow the application instructions on these labels, and stay safe by wearing personal protective equipment.

Treatment for Assassin Bugs should start outdoors by killing off the insect population that is present in order to take away the Assassin Bugs food source. For this we recommend a broadcast treatment of Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules and a perimeter treatment of Supreme IT.

Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules is a great granular insecticide that will provide protection for up to 90 days. Supreme IT is a liquid insecticide that will be used to create a barrier around your property to kill, repel, and prevent insects from coming inside, including Assassin Bugs.

Step 1 - Broadcast Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules around your Yard

Spreading granules

Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules is a granular insecticide that is labeled to treat many different lawn insects, including beetles. This product has a residual effect that can last up to 3 months and can be broadcast over your entire yard to reduce the insect population. 

The typical application rate is 2.3 pounds of Valar Plus Bifenthrin to treat 1,000 square feet of lawn.

To broadcast the Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules, you could use either a push spreader or a hand spreader like the Plantmates Scatterbox. While both styles are easy to use, a broadcast may be better suited for larger lawns as it holds more granules than a hand spreader and can cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. If you need to spread granules on a flowerbed, around trees or are covering a smaller area and want to do it quickly yet precisely, the Plantmates Scatterbox hand spreader is ideal.

After measuring the square footage of your lawn (measure and calculate your lawn's length x width), add the appropriate amount of Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules to your spreader and then broadcast it uniformly over your entire lawn while walking at a steady pace. Apply all over your lawn, in flowerbeds, landscaping, mulched areas, and where Assassin Bugs have been seen. Remember to water the areas treated after application to activate the product.

Do not let people or pets enter the areas treated until 2 to 4 hours have passed.

Step 2 - Perimeter Treatment with Supreme IT Insecticide

Reclaim Perimater Treatment for Beetles

Supreme IT is a broad-spectrum insecticide that is labeled for over 70 insect pests. It also has a long residual effect that continues to kill for up to 90 days after application.

To apply Supreme IT, simply mix water in a hand pump or hose-end sprayer then add Supreme IT at a rate of 1 oz per gallon to cover 1,000 sq. ft. Spray around the perimeter of your structure by spraying three feet up and three feet out from the foundation. Also spray window frames, door frames, cracks and crevices, electrical/plumbing penetrations in the foundation. Spray the whole perimeter of your structure.

Next, you will spray the yard as a broadcast treatment for application rates check the label. You will spray it all around your yard and will also apply it in ornamentals, and landscaping. Remember not to let people or pets enter the area until the spray has dried or 2 to 4 hours have passed. 

Step 3 - Indoor Treatment with Fipro Aerosol

fipro assassin bugs

To protect your home indoors against Assassin Bugs we recommend Fipro Aerosol. Fipro is a foaming aerosol that contains the active ingredient Fipronil and comes ready to use. Thanks to it's foaming capabilities, it is great to use in the small cracks and crevices where Assassin Bugs like to hide. 

Simply shake, and insert with its injection straw, to small cracks and crevices found inside your home, the foam will spread inside these cracks and crevices and the product will be applied. Apply Fipro in small openings near baseboards, or openings around window frames, or any crack or crevice found inside your home.

Prevention

exclusion prevention assassin bugs

After the Assassin Bugs have been controlled successfully, you have to put into place preventative measures to ensure they don't reinfest.  

  • Some things you can do to keep you property Assassin bug-free include trimming back vegetation and preventing it from touching your structure.
  • Cleaning your yard, making sure there are is no wood, leaf, or vegetation debris, will get rid of the possible areas where insects may harbor, which will also drive away assassin bugs. 
  • The best thing to do to keep Assassin Bugs away is to turn the lights off at night, especially in patios or outside in the yard. If you must keep the lights on you will have more luck with yellow bug bulbs.
  • Applying Supreme IT every 3 months as a perimeter barrier and Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules every 3 months around the yard will also ensure that bugs will be kept away from your property. And finally, seal any crack and crevice on the outside of your structure that might lead insects inside. Utilize Stuf-Fit Copper Mesh in areas around the home, especially around plumbing lines to take away points of entry. By closing these cracks and crevices you will block their access into your home.

Key Takeaways

What are Assassin Bugs?

  • Assassin Bugs often infest gardens and lawns around the home that have a large insect population, as small insects are its primary food source.

How To Get Rid of Assassin Bugs

  • Reduce the insect population with a broadcast treatment of Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules then conduct a perimeter barrier treatment of Supreme IT to keep insects and Assassin Bugs away.

Preventing Assassin Bug Reinfestation

  • Exclusion and sealing off any possible entry points is the best way to not only prevent but to also control Assassin bugs. Regularly check your home for any possible entry points and fix them and maintain a debris-free yard, this will ensure insects have no harborage areas.
Questions and Answers
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  1. Size:
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    Supreme IT Insecticide
    $54.99 - $179.99
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    FiPro Foaming Aerosol
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    Stuf-Fit Copper Mesh Exclusion
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    Solutions Sprayer - 1 Gallon Poly
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    Solutions Hose End Sprayer
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    Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules
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    PlantMates ScatterBox
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