How to Kill Lady Bugs & Boxelder Bugs

Mix 2 teaspoons of powdered laundry detergent with 1 quart of warm water in the spray bottle. Place the cap onto the spray bottle and shake the contents vigorously to dissolve the laundry detergent. Spray the soap mixture directly onto boxelder bugs wherever you see them on the outside of buildings and structures.

Spray an insecticide that contains “bifenthrin” or “cyfluthrin” to kill ladybugs that you find outside the home. Saturate the insects thoroughly where they congregate on the outside of buildings and structures.

Fill a jar with 2 cups of warm water and add 1 teaspoon of dish soap. When you find boxelder bugs and ladybugs on plants, knock them off the plants and into the jar of soapy water. Collect as many bugs as possible and then discard the bugs after they die in the soapy water.

Cut off the nylon knee-high to leave a 3-inch to 4-inch long sack that consists of the toe of the knee-high. Insert the knee-high into the hose of the vacuum attachment and secure the top edge of the knee-high sack around the outer edge of the hose with the rubber band. Collect the bugs in the sack by running the vacuum cleaner with the hose attachment inside the home. Remove the knee-high sack from the vacuum cleaner hose, transfer it to a plastic bag, seal the bag tightly with the twist tie and dispose of the bag in the trash.