Summer is a time to kick back and enjoy the long, sunny days and beautiful weather but as the temperatures start to cool down, the likelihood of your home becoming infested with box elder bugs increases. These common, reddish insects are found in the box elder tree and prefer to spend their time outdoors in the warmer months. As winter comes along, these insects will begin looking for warmer places – and often they choose a home just like yours.
The annoying box elder bugs congregate in large numbers and can sometimes be observed on the side of buildings as they look for a way in. They can be identified by the 3 narrow black stripes on the area behind the head. In most cases they will begin looking for indoor accommodations during September or October and, unless taken care of, will remain in the home throughout the winter.
It’s not easy to prevent them from entering your home because it’s likely that your home is not 100% secure. They can enter through the smallest cracks in the foundation or the tiniest gap in your window. They feed on a variety of plants but prefer the boxelder seed pods available on female boxelder trees. As a result, if you have a female box elder tree within your community then the probability of having a box elder infestation will increase.
If you spot a box elder bug or two it’s likely that there are many more where they came from. The only way to get rid of them for good is to destroy their entire colony. Look for areas of your home with cracks, such as wall spaces, gates, under glass windows and around the foundation. Box elder bugs particularly enjoy south and west visibility so start with those areas of your home. It’s best to get rid of them in October – before they attempt to gain entrance to your home.
If you do have boxelder bugs in your home, they will hibernate through most of the winter but can show their face from time to time on particularly warm days. As spring comes and the days get longer, they will attempt to exit your home by any means possible. Remember that while these bugs are a nuisance, they are non-toxic, they don’t bite and they don’t harm buildings, fiber products or food. The only situation in which they’re likely to do real damage to your walls or furniture is when they’re crushed.
Of course even though these bugs aren’t harmful, no one wants to have hundreds of them in their home. If you spy them outside your home during summer or fall months, take action to destroy their colonies with pesticides. You can purchase inexpensive products online or at your local store and in most cases they are fairly easy to get rid of on your own. Just remember that where you see one bug, there are likely hundreds more hiding.