We have had these bugs in our home for a few years, not many, but enough to be annoying.
We live in northern IL. Can we spray in the winter and have any effect on the population? We see none inside but they seem to be in the aluminum siding and that would be impossible to seal up to find every crack they are accessing to get in the house.
What is a good plan to control them now?
Thanks, Steve
You could spray the CYPERMETHRIN listed in our BOXELDER BUG CONTROL ARTICLE. As long as they’re active and it’s warm enough outside, treating now would have an impact. But the best thing to do immediately would be to either dust with DELTAMETHRIN DUST up under the siding with a HAND DUSTER or use PT PHANTOM with it’s crack and crevice straw.
In the long run the dust would be the best since treatments would last 3-6 months. The Phantom would be easier to apply but expect to use it monthly since treatments won’t last as long. However, the Phantom is practically odorless so it could be used inside should the box elders start showing up in living spaces.
Ultimately you should really spray the outside of the home every fall to insure they don’t live under the siding during the winter. And again, a good dusting at this time would keep them away for sure.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Cypermethrin: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/viper-cypermethrin
Box Elder Bug Control: http://www.bugspray.com/articles98/boxelder.html
Deltamethrin Dust: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/dust/deltamethrin-dust
Hand Duster: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/dust/deltamethrin-dust
Phantom: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/aerosol/pt-phantom-17-5oz
beth says
March 18, 2011 at 11:18 amhi im just curious i have a really bad problem with ants and box elder bugs coming in my home…the ants are all over the house and the box elder bugs are mostly outside but sometimes find their way in. i cant find anything to get rid of them if you could please give me some ideas i would greatly appreciate it! thanks for your time
Tech Support says
March 18, 2011 at 1:34 pm@beth: Get some of the Cypermethrin listed above and start using it around the home. For your initial treatment, apply 2-3 gallons. Don’t be afraid to use it on the siding, trees, landscaping and mulch. The key will be penetrating where these pest like to nest. In my experience, they love mulch, pine straw, wood chips and other organic material close to the home. If you get these areas treated heavy, you should be able to hold everything off and keep them from penetrating inside.