How to Get rid of Boxelder Bugs Naturally | Homemade Boxelder Bug Trap

Getting rid of boxelder bugs is no easy feat. These little creatures are a common household pest that can be quite bothersome if left untreated.

Boxelder bugs feed on the sap of boxelder trees, and will often congregate in warm places such as inside walls in the wintertime. In spring, they move to the outside of homes and buildings where they can effectively be a pain in the rear.

Boxelder bugs are normally difficult to deal with if they enter the house during the autumn season.

In this article, you will find out about various natural methods in which you can kill and prevent boxelder bugs from gaining access to your homes and gardens.

How to Get rid of Boxelder Bugs Naturally

Below are 7 Natural Ways and Homemade techniques you can follow to get rid of Boxledger bugs.

1. Blast them with water

With a very high-pressured stream from a garden hose, tiny clusters of boxelder bugs are quickly broken up.

While this approach will not kill or decrease their population, the growth of a swarm will temporarily be discouraged.

The need for more involved care needed by larger swarms may be avoided by holding boxelder bugs at a manageable level.

3. Diatomaceous earth

Banish moderate to large swarms of diatomaceous earth, an organic, talc-like substance made up of micro-algae fossilized remains. The food-grade type is lethal to boxelder bugs but non-toxic to humans and livestock.

Donning gloves, protective glasses, and a dust mask, use a manual hand duster or plastic feed scoop to spread the powder in the manufacturer-recommended amount around the base of boxelder, maple, or ash trees.

Sprinkle the extra powder around your home’s perimeter, concentrating on entry points such as windowsills and doorjambs.

To dry out and kill them in a few hours, the powder can penetrate the exoskeletons of the bugs. If rain destroys the powder or new swarms appear, repeat the therapy.

3. Replace boxelder-bearing seed trees

Since the insect feed on the seedpods of female boxelder trees, it can enable you to permanently get rid of the bugs by eliminating them and replacing them with non-seed-bearing male trees (or other species).

Bear in mind that the older the tree is, the more costly the removal would be. Consider also that the advantages of the tree can outweigh the insect nuisance-shade, privacy, and curb appeal.

4. Vacuum them up

Vacuuming them up from the ground, wall crevices, or windowsills and doorways where they sometimes lurk is the best way to banish a few unwanted boxelder bugs at home.

In order to remove their smelly traces, dispose of captured bugs immediately, which may attract other, more destructive insects such as Dermestid beetles.

Stop squashing bugs; this, particularly on the carpet, can leave a stain. Since boxelder bugs do not reproduce indoors, if you dispose of those already in the house and then seal any gaps, you need not worry about another home invasion.

5. Boiling water

In order to immediately destroy box elder bugs on touch, hot or boiling water may also be used.

This is another method and alternative to the use of toxic insecticides that can pose a danger to your pets and children.

Hot water can destroy boxelder bugs and is also an entirely normal and safe technique (provided that you take proper precautions).

What you need to do is heat up a water pot or use a boiler with hot water. Get a container made of steel and simply fill the boiling water with it.

Then only pour it on streets, walls, or even the cracks in the ground where boxer activity can be seen.

This is where they are likely to mate, so pour down the cracks with hot water to terminate the young bugs and the eggs to keep them from breeding.

Be careful of Wood, rugs, furniture, or other materials that may be susceptible to water damage

For boxers, water is an ideal alternative to pesticides. Water can gradually evaporate and leave no trace behind, unlike bug spray, which can be harmful.

This is a 100% regular, DIY home remedy to get rid of box elders and is very efficient-not to mention almost free of charge.

6. DIY homemade boxelder trap

You can build a trap for a boxelder that you can position around your house. This won’t totally get rid of them but serves as a way to gauge your progress.

The more boxelders you capture, the more boxelders you have that take over your house. You can see less and less boxelder bugs being stuck over time as you make progress.

Here’s how a homemade boxelder bug trap can be made:

• Bug tape that lures them into it can also be used and they will be stuck by the sticky residue. At any hardware store, you can buy this tape.

• Stick it where you see plenty of pest activity and see if some can be caught. Replace them as needed. You can see fewer and fewer bugs being stuck over time.

• In plain sight, not all boxelder bugs hang out, others tend to hide in the cellar, attic, or near ceilings.

• Place a lightweight pest trap in the out-of-the-way zones to catch these undercover creepers.

• Glue or light is used for the most powerful traps to attract and then ensnare bugs. To keep odors at bay, dispose of the traps as soon as possible.

7. Boxelder bugs and laundry detergent

Boxelders may also be destroyed by laundry detergent. Only combine 3 parts water and 1 part detergent with a spray bottle.

Spray it on boxelder bugs directly and they’ll get killed. Their shell is dissolved by the detergent.

When spraying this stuff, be cautious. Detergent can tint your home and furnishings, and if ingested, it may be toxic. Look out for children and pets. For this reason, consider using organic detergent.

How to prevent Boxelder Bugs?

• Sprinkling the outer walls of the house in the fall with a residual insecticide may help in avoiding them from coming again. If you treat this way earlier then you have the best opportunity to control the immature stages of boxelder bugs. Once they have come inside to overwinter, full control is almost impossible.

• If the house has a past history of boxelder bugs, finding and sealing as many external cracks as possible during the summer is the best way to prevent these bugs from entering the house.

• The simplest way to eliminate boxelder bugs, once they are indoors, is using a vacuum cleaner.

• One may also use an insecticide spray, to use it around the baseboards and window edges to further control the bugs. The boxelder bug will ultimately die after it comes in contact with the insecticide.

Conclusion:

Now, after reading the article one will not face the problem of boxelder bug infestation. One just needs to buy the required product to get rid of them. One should also take preventive steps to prevent any future infestation of boxelder bugs.

So, worrying over boxelder bugs is not necessary as their infestation is not permanent, you can use various solutions as prescribed to get rid of them permanently!