If you have a boxelder bug infestation, you can quickly get rid of the pests by yourself, without the need of professional help. By following a few simple steps, and using a pro-grade insecticide, you will be boxelder bug free by the end of the day.
The best way to get rid of box elder bugs is to cut back brush and branches around your home. Next, spray a professional grade insecticide (such as Dragnet), that is designed to kill boxelder bugs on contact. Apply the insecticide directly to the siding of your home -where boxelder bugs tend to hang out. If you can identify their nest, apply the insecticide there as well. (Be sure to follow the label instructions.) Re-apply every spring and fall, during boxelder bug mating season.
Boxelder bugs love sunshine and the elder family of trees. These pesky pests will often be found crawling over each other on the southside of a home to bask in the warmth.
You may also be interested in reading this related article “How To Get Rid Of Fleas“.
Quickest Way To Kill Boxelder Bugs
So, you’ve got a boxelder infestation on your hands? You’ve found the right article to get these pests far away from your home.
Over the years, I’ve responded to hundreds of calls for boxelder bugs. These bugs are attracted to ash, maple, and other boxelder trees. While they don’t do a whole lot of damage to the trees themselves, they certainly can be a nuisance.
Often we would get calls of boxelder bugs covering siding and jumping on homeowners as they walk around their yard and home. If this is happening to you, it’s time to get rid of them.
Follow these simple steps to get rid of boxelder bugs quickly:
- Walk around house and cut back any brush, bushes, or tree branches touching your home.
- Cut bushes and brush back three feet from the foundation of your home.
- Next, mix Dragnet insecticide and pour into backpack sprayer.
- Spray Dragnet liberally across the side of your home where the boxelder bugs like to hang out. This is usually the south side of the home, where the sun exposure is the greatest.
- Watch and wait as boxelder bugs die off as they come into contact with the insecticide.
Once you’ve completed these steps, you will start to see a noticeable difference in the boxelder population around your home.
Mixing Chemicals To Kill Boxelder Bugs
In my 15 years of owning and operating a pest control company, I could always count on Dragnet, a quality and potent insecticide to get the job done.
Dragnet is an insecticide that is designed to work on contact. That means when a boxelder bugs walk or land on the chemical, they will ingest the active ingredients and then die.
Dragnet is sold as a concentrate so you’ll need to mix in water before you apply it to your home.
Here’s a quick look at how much water you’ll need, depending on how many gallons of insecticide you’d like to make. The larger the surface, the more mixture you’ll need. You get the idea! This chart explains the ratios you need to make a mixture at 0.5% concentrate.
| How Much Mixture | Water | Dragnet |
| One Gallon | 7.9 pints | 1 2/3 ounces |
| Five Gallons | 39.5 pints | 8 1/3 ounces |
| 10 Gallons | 79 pints | 16 2/3 ounces |
If you want a more potent mixture, you’ll need to add less water and more insecticide. If you have a major infestation, we’re talking bugs covering your entire house, then a more high potency mixture may be more effective.
When mixing any insecticide it’s important to always wear gloves and eye protection. You don’t want to get a splash of Dragnet in your eyes! Trust me.
Once mixed, add to Solo Backpack sprayer to apply to your home.
A gallon of Dragnet concentrate will go a long way so you’ll most likely be storing the left over chemical. If so, make sure this insecticide is stored in an area out of reach of children and in temperatures above 40 degrees.
How to Apply and Re-Apply Dragnet
Once you’ve mixed the insecticide and water together, you’ll want to carefully pour it inside a backpack sprayer. I’ll get into the details of how to use the sprayer in just a minute.
Before you apply Dragnet, take a look around and see where the boxelder bugs are hanging out. Again, they like the southside of any house and nearby trees.
Spray the Dragnet/water mixture directly to the siding. Make sure to cover the entire area, if possible. The mixture will kill bugs that land on the mixture.
You’ll often see a lot of boxelder bugs around your home during the spring and fall, when they’re mating. After hibernating for the winter, female boxelder bugs will load up on food for about two weeks and then start looking for a mate.
Once this happens, the male boxelder bugs will come out of the woodwork (pun intended) and before you know it, these pests will be everywhere.
So, every spring and fall you will want to re-apply the Dragnet/water solution and repeat.
With any chemicals, you should always read the manufacturer label before beginning any extermination. It’s better to be safe than sorry!
How To Use Backpack Sprayer
In my professional experience, the best backpack sprayer around is by a company called SOLO. When I owned and operated my own pest control company, this is the backpack we used every day for just about every job.
The Solo Backpack Sprayer comes in two different styles, a piston and diaphragm pumps.
The diaphragm pump is great for spraying below you, such as applying insectide around the foundation of a home.
A piston pump sprayer is great when you need more pressure to apply high above you in areas such as awnings and siding. When spraying for boxelder bugs, you may find that a piston pump will work best, depending on how tall and large your home is.
Before using a your sprayer for the first time, make sure to fill it with water and try out the pump and spray. This trial run will hopefully give you more confidence when it’s time for the real deal.
Using the backpack sprayer is fairly self-explanatory. Once assembled, you have a small pump you will push to add pressure to the tank. Then you have a wand with a spray tip. Press the lever on the wand to release the chemicals to their desired location.
Once you’re done spraying for boxelder bugs discard of any left over chemicals, wash throughly and store in a place where kids and pets can’t get into it. Even though you’ve cleaned out the tank, it’s best to error on the side of caution.
What To Do If Boxelder Bugs Are Inside My Home
If you find boxelder bugs inside your home, chances are they’re not looking to stay and set up shop. Boxelder like to be outside and in the sunshine. They’re not really interested in coming inside.
With that said, if there’s a boxelder bug or two crawling around they’re probably lost and snuck in through a crack or hole in the siding of your home.
If you’re worried about more boxelder bugs crawling around, Dragnet is safe to use inside your home as well. Spray Dragnet solution around the perimeter such as baseboards, front door, or any other areas you suspect the bugs are getting in.
While Dragnet is safe for use inside your home, you should keep children and pets away until it dries, as a precaution.
If you only see a few boxelder bugs here or there, grab the vacuum and get to work. This will work if there’s only a couple bugs- however, if you start to see dozens of bugs wandering around, you’ll need to spray.
Preventing Boxelder Bugs
There’s only so much you can do to keep boxelder bugs from hanging around your home. In addition to spraying insecticide, you can reduce the number of trees boxelder bugs are attracted to, these include ash and maple trees.
If you don’t want to cut down all your trees, at least cut back the branches and keep bushes from touching your home. Also, seal up any cracks or crevices bugs could get through.
Related Questions
What are Boxelder bugs attracted to?
During mating season, you’ll find that boxelder bugs are attracted to each other- the more the merrier. They also love sunshine, trees, tall buildings, and flat surfaces.
Natural remedies for Boxelder infestation
To get rid of boxelder bugs naturally try mixing laundry detergent with water and spray inside and outside your house. When a boxelder bugs walks through the solution it will strip its wax coating and cause dehydration and eventually die.
Borax and essential oils like lavender and clove oil are known to keep boxelder bugs at bay.
Do Boxelder Bugs Cause Damages?
Boxelder bugs don’t cause damage, however, they can stain your walls, carpet, and even siding if there’s enough of them.
Boxelder bugs aren’t aggressive, just annoying. However, occasionally they will bite and cause slight irritation, much like a mosquito bite.