Box Elder Bugs

/ Box Elder Bugs #1  

Cottonhawk

Gold Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2004
Messages
453
Location
Oregon, USA
Tractor
NH TC40DA, Canopy, Tiltmeter.
Any of you have Box Elder Bugs problems? I have thousands of them this time of the year every year. Any methods to get rid of these bugs? I also have tons of lady bugs.
 
/ Box Elder Bugs #2  
We've never been able to get a hand on the ladybugs. Wife use to pull the Hoover out every time she saw a single one (she's a bit retentive about things like that)

After the onslaught continued each fall, she's finally relinguished a bit and now cleans them up on her regular vaccum scheduel or if she sees a bunch of them.

(we get thousandsssssssssssssssssssss over the course of fall weather)

/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
/ Box Elder Bugs #3  
Most drastic would be to remove the box elder tree.

I had some success with a simple soap solution. A tablespoon of soap in a gallon of water and spray on hte bugs. It is only effective as a contact poison.

The vacumm cleaner already mentioned works well too!

Phil
 
/ Box Elder Bugs #4  
Cottonhawk
Im in Oregon too, and we have them critters everywhere.
they cover our house & any other buildings that are warm.
I dont spray them because who wants to spray their house with bug killer. Not only that , but they are harmless, they dont chew your house or kids so we just leave them alone & OUTSIDE !
 
/ Box Elder Bugs
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Well, sounds like that there isn't much one can do to get rid the box elder bugs. I don't think that we have a box elder tree (not I know of). Ernie, how far are you from Portland?
 
/ Box Elder Bugs #6  
Hawk I sent you a PM w/ our address
 
/ Box Elder Bugs #7  
My brother had a Box Elder tree and once we cut it down, he never had the bugs anymore. Before the tree was cut down he would have them all over the side of his house, under the siding, all over his mulch and porch.
I've never had a problem with the lady bugs, but the lady asian beetles that look like lady bugs but are orange now they are a pain. They bite too! I really only have a problem with them in the winter as they go back outside when it warms up.
Neither of the critters care for the seven dust too much!
 
/ Box Elder Bugs
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Ernie,
I PM you back w/ my info.
We're next door neighbors.
 
/ Box Elder Bugs
  • Thread Starter
#9  
"....My brother had a Box Elder tree and once we cut it down, he never had the bugs anymore...."
OK! I need to learn how to identify the Box Elder tree.
 
/ Box Elder Bugs #10  
Cottonhawk,
Welcome neighbor !! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Also I dont have a box elder tree whithin a mile of our place. and we have the box critters every where here.

They are just pests thats all, because they dont bite or chew anything, but they hang around all over the side of our house.
No harm done
Ernie
 
/ Box Elder Bugs #11  
I was told that they are called Box Elder bugs because they smell like box elder when you crush them. A google search turns up the following: Box Elder bug link

So I guess what I heard is not the reason for the name. Note the reference to silver maples.
 
/ Box Elder Bugs #12  
Here's a pic of the box elder tree leaf
boxelderA.jpg


Box Elder - Branches with 3 leaves shown; each having 3 leaflets. Same as Maple leaves.
 
/ Box Elder Bugs
  • Thread Starter
#13  
Thanks for the pic. At least I will be able to identify the Box Elder tree if I see one. We do have a lot of maple trees on the ranch.
 
/ Box Elder Bugs #14  
Last year I was swarmed with the orange lady bugs - this year I have not had a s many yet. I have had a dozen or so Box Elder bugs but not a swarm - I did not remember having them last year.

What gets rid of the orange lady bugs? Also - Do they bite? My family is convinced they do but I have not had one bite me yet.

Next fall critter is the field mice oving in. Traps are already working this year. My wife is alergic to cats and my dog does not like them either plus have a busy road close by so do not want to kill one.
 
/ Box Elder Bugs #15  
It sounds as if those are the lady asian beetles. Yes they do bite. They eat a lot of aphids and other insects that can damage a garden. I've tried killing them with all sorts of things. They don't like bee spray at all!!!!
 
/ Box Elder Bugs #16  
I've found a few other things that kill them too. Unfortuneately, when you have thousands and thousands of them swarming around your house and trying to get in, or at least behind the vinyl siding, it seems pointless to try and kill them all. I'm wondering if anyone knows of anything they truly "don't like", and that would repel them. It would be OK if it killed them too, but mostly, I'd just like to keep them away.
 

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