Boxelder Bug Control: How To Get Rid of Boxelder Bugs

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

When the cold winter temperatures arrive, there are various pests that look towards your home for warmth and shelter and bring about an annoying infestation. One such bug is the Boxelder bug.

Although boxelder bugs don’t cause any harm to property or people, these little black and red bugs can be a nuisance since they tend to gather in large numbers crawling around cracks and crevices.

Fortunately, these bugs can be fairly easy to get rid of by implementing preventative exclusion measures in and around your home and using an effective insecticide.

If you’re suffering from an infestation of Boxelder Bugs, our DIY guide can help. Learn below the steps to take the and professional products to use if you want to be successful in getting rid of boxelder bugs from your home once and for all.

Identification

Identification is essential for control. Before you can treat you need to make be sure you’re dealing with Boxelder Bugs. You might confuse Boxelder Bugs for Milkweed Bug, which is why their Identification is so important.

Boxelder Bugs are usually about 1/2 an inch long and 1/3 of an inch wide. Their bodies are shaped like sunflower seeds but can be easily distinguished by their color. They are black and have orange or red edges on their body. They also have red eyes that bug out, six legs, and long antennae.

Use the description and image above to properly identify Boxelder Bugs. If you are not totally sure, contact us and we will help you with correct identification.

Inspection

Inspection is pivotal for control. Before you can treat, you need to know exactly where the Boxelder Bugs might enter the property or where they are currently hiding.

Where To Inspect

Indoors look in storage areas, attics, basements, crawl spaces, cabinets, closets, garages, and cracks and crevices. Outdoors search in yard look in Boxelder trees if you have them, in the south and west-facing walls of structures that receive the most sunlight, and in trees and bushes.

What To Look For

You’re looking for Boxelder Bugs and cracks and crevices where they may enter the structure. Outside search near trees, plants, and shrubs. On the outside of your structure look for cracks and crevices near window frames, door frames, electrical/plumbing penetrations, and any small cracks where they may enter. If you have found Boxelder Bugs or cracks and crevices, this is where you will apply treatment.

Treatment

Once you have confirmed Boxelder 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 (PPE).

Our recommendation to treat Boxelder Bugs is an outdoor perimeter treatment of Supreme IT Insecticide. For Boxelder Bugs that have made their way indoors, use a combination of Pyrid Aerosol and D-Fense Dust.

Step 1 - Outdoor Treatment with Supreme IT

Start by treating the outside. Ideally, you’ll want to spray before winter arrives in the middle or in late fall. Supreme IT is a great insecticidal repellent insecticide concentrate that will kill, repel, and prevent many insects including Boxelder Bugs from entering your structure. It also has a residual (or long-term effects) that will last up to 90 days.

Begin by calculating the square footage of your home perimeter by measuring (in feet) and multiply the area length times the width (length x width = square footage). 1 oz. of Supreme IT mixed with one gallon of water will cover 1,000 sq. ft. of area.

Perform a perimeter treatment by spraying 3 feet up and 3 feet out from the foundation of your structure. You will also want to spray window frames, door frames, electrical/plumbing penetrations, eaves, soffits, and any small crack and crevices you might be able to find on the exterior of your property. Do not let people or pets enter the areas sprayed for 2 to 4 hours.

Step 2 - Indoor Treatment with Pyrid Aerosol

Indoors, Pyrid will be used as a contact spray for any Boxelder Bugs you’re able to find inside your property and flush out their clusters. Pyrid is a pyrethrin insecticide aerosol that offers a quick knockdown of pests with no residual.

Pyrid comes in a ready-to-use aerosol spray can. Simply shake the can well, point and spray in swift, sweeping motions. You can also use it inside cracks and crevices by attaching the red straw applicator tip the Pyrid comes with. Apply around windows and tight spaces where Boxelder Bugs might emerge from in the Spring. 

Step 3 - Apply D-Fense Dust 

D-Fense Dust is the final touch to round out your treatment. D-Fense Dust is a ready-to-use insecticidal dust that is perfect to use in hard to reach areas that Boxelder Bugs like to hide.  Best of all, the Dust remains effective for up to 8 months where applied.

To use D-Fense Dust you will need a hand held duster. Fill the duster halfway with D-Fense Dust and leave plenty of room inside to let the air circulate inside the duster. You will apply by squeezing. Apply in hotspots that include in baseboards, under furniture and appliances, below sinks, around door and window frames, and the corner corners of attics and closets. Apply in any small crack and crevice found inside your home. You can also apply D-Fense Dust outside in cracks and crevices.

Prevention

After eliminating the Boxelder Bug infestation, you need to make sure a reinfestation doesn't occur by implementing preventative measures. Start by sealing and closing off any potential entry points into your home. Use caulk or copper mesh completely seal off any opening in cracks and crevices found outside your structure.

And finally use Supreme IT and D-Fense Dust in late fall, before the weather turns cold, and when the Boxelder Bugs start accumulating on the west and south facing walls of your structure. The application of both products in the fall will prevent the Boxelder Bugs from entering your home in the winter.

Key Takeaways

• Boxelder Bugs are overwintering pests that invade homes when temperatures drop in large clusters.
• Treat infestations of Boxelder Bugs with an outdoor perimeter application of Supreme IT Insecticide before winter arrives. Any indoor invasions should be treated with Pyrid Aerosol and D-Fense Dust.
• Remember that exclusion is the best form of prevention. Seal and close off any crack and crevice around your home before winter arrives.