What to Put Around the House for Boxelder Bugs

Insecticides

• Spraying the outside perimeters of home with recommended pesticides helps reduce pest infestation. Common overwintering areas of boxelder bugs include the crevices and cracks in walls, doors and under foundations. The pests are found in larger numbers on the south and west sides of the house. The use of insecticide on exterior home surfaces discourages pests from getting inside the home. Recommended insecticides for home exteriors include permethrin, bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, tralomethrin, deltamethrin or lambda cyhalothrin, according to the University of Minnesota Extension.

Cultural Control

• Besides the use of insecticides, other precautionary measures can help eliminate overwintering sites outsides homes. These include mending all screens on windows, doors, roof vents and bathroom and kitchen fans. Seal the sites where the phone, cable lines or wires enter the house from outside, using expandable foam, copper mesh or other appropriate material. Place rubber seals at the bottom of garage doors and door sweeps on entry doors.

Interior Control

• If you see boxelder bugs inside your house, the best way to remove them is to use a vacuum or brush them out with a broom. Boxelder bugs inside homes in fall are also likely to be in sunny, warm locations on your home's exterior. Treat these areas with insecticides. The use of chemicals is not recommended on the pests inside the house, as the insects have a short life and won't reproduce once inside.

Removing Host Trees

• Though the boxelder tree is the main host for the bugs, removing boxelder, maple or ash trees near the house is not a practical strategy, suggests the University of Minnesota Extension. Since the pests can fly for miles in search of food, chances are they may be living in host trees that are not nearby or on the property. The population of boxelder bugs may reduce the next season with adequate control strategies. Even without the use of pesticides, the pests do not automatically increase over time.