Box Elder Bugs: The Red & Black Beetle Menace
It’s that time of year again here in Wisconsin when on warm autumn days those red and black beetles know as Box Elder Bugs begin forming large groups in search of a place to over winter. They don’t bite, but the shear numbers are frightening and create a major nusiance. Don’t mistake these bettles with Asian Beetles that look like Ladybugs. If you have an outdoor pool or bar area, both varieties will attempt to find a crevice in which to spend the winter. The don’t harm structures and perhaps they act as additional insulation for older homes (grin).
I’m sure you are wondering how to get rid of those red and black Box Elder Bugs, and if you’ve tried bug spray, you’ve already found that it does not work. They seem immune to the stuff and just keep on crawlin’.
The only way I have found to eliminate them is using an Ortho Sprayer filled with several cups of Era Laundry detergent. Yup, you read right, laundry detergent. Set the sprayer on the 2oz setting, just so the mixture creates a foam. For some reason, this concoction will kill them in their tracks. I’d love to know how this really works and I found this by accident while cleaning some garbage cans. At 1 to 2 oz per gallon concentration, the spray does not seem to hurt plants & trees. I told a few people about this and now the whole neighborhood is in on the Box Elder Bug War. Ajax dish soap also works as will any non-phosphorus detergent. If there are any Entomologists out there that can answer this mystery, feel free to comment.
Here is the gruesome aftermath of a good detergent wash down. You don’t need the volume of suds shown in the photo, 1oz per gallon of liquid soap should kill 98% of Box Elder Beetles.
Increase the dosage if needed.
Very effective and leaves a fresh clean scent!
September 30th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Thank you for the information…We have billions of these things on our property,so…I am assuming that we will smell like a laundermat for awhile.
October 5th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Thank you so much for this tip we have been dealing with these bugs for 2 yrs now and they just cover the side of the house and the garage. We have tried everything and this has worked great.
October 5th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Box Elder bugs seems to have years when they are really bad and appear in large numbers, while other years they are rarely seen.
The years 2006 and 2007 were very bad for us in central Wisconsin, but 2008 has been much better. The Asian Ladybug also seems to run in cycles.
It’s either due to weather conditions or a general breeding cycle.
October 12th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Having a real nasty problem with them this year, in the countryside north of Madison. Trying everything to get rid of these bastards, but my house was built in the 70s so theres a few gaps where they can get into my house and I can’t do a lot about it. Any thoughts on dealing with them once they come inside?