Got Boxelder bugs? We do! Gross!!! They cover the south side of our house every spring and hang out well into the fall! Want to get rid of them naturally?
How to Naturally Get Rid of Boxelder Bugs
- One of the first tricks I found as I was learning how to get rid of boxelder bugs was soap and water. Particularly laundry detergent. Mix a half cup of this into a gallon or two of water, put it in a spray bottle, and go at it. This one works most of the time. I use my homemade laundry detergent for this one!
- The garden hose outside can be a great weapon as well. Increase the intensity of the sprayer and just blast them out of the air. This will kill many. This is my husband’s favorite method. Something about guys and high-powered hoses!
- Borax. Sprinkle this all over places that the critters live and hang out
This is what works the best for us. I would love to hear what your favorite tips are in the comments below!
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6 Replies to “How to Naturally Get Rid of Boxelder Bugs”
another more friendly solution for deterring them from warming themselves on your house’s wall is to make them a more suitable location for Warming their chilled bodies. They are after all there on your property working overtime (and not getting paid for it) by killing other bugs. Be realistic. You can’t have beneficial bugs that ONLY look cool & pretty. Some will be “gross” and some will look nasty and some will sting. I’d rather have box elder bugs than have wasps! But at least the box elder bug eats aphids and other small soft bodied chewers who devour my garden. I just try hard to make sure my house isn’t calling them to it! I get the spring & fall migration of box elder bugs, Japanese Lady Beetles (which bite) and flies. Both the box Elder & Japanese Lady beetles are predator bugs who help me in my seasonal battle. So giving them ROOM to hibernate is only fair!
Is the laundry detergent spray safe for cats & dogs?
The thing is toxic to animals, my sick cat can verify along with drooling like a dog and difficult breathing. I squshed one between my fingers with tp and under a nail started burning like hot pepper juice.
I have problem with deer eating my daylilies and have spayed the lilies with tobasco sauce /water to make them distastfull. I saw a boatload of boxede bugs were enjoying a feast on the lilies as well. I sprayed the lilies with my tobasco mixture (1 bottle diluted in 1 quart spray bottle of water). Lo and behond, the boxelder bugs were gone the next day! The tobasco does not kill the foliage.
Awesome! Thanks for the tip, I will have to try that 🙂