When fall arrives and the weather starts to turn a little cooler, boxelder bugs begin to find your house very attractive. The ½-inch long bugs with red stripes on their wings and long snouts start looking for a place to spend the winter. They don't eat fabric but they can stain it with their excrement. When you crush them, they make an awful smell. They can bite, too. Keep them out of your house with Ortho® Home Defense MAX® Perimeter & Indoor Insect Killer.
Boxelder bugs want in. If there's a hole in your screen or a crack around a window, they'll find it. Make sure everything is sealed up tight.
If you have a lot of boxelder bugs, suck them up with a shop-vac then destroy the bag. That way, you don't have to smell the awful stench when you crush them.
Because more bugs may enter your home on the next warm day, it is a good idea to control boxelder bugs outdoors before they enter. Keep boxelder bugs from coming indoors by applying a product such as Ortho® Home Defense MAX® Perimeter & Indoor Insect Killer Ready-To-Use around your home's foundation. Just be sure to follow the instructions on the label.
Boxelder bugs are ½-inch long bugs with red stripes on their wings. During the spring, the young hatch in boxelder trees, as well as maple, ash, and fruit trees. They eat twigs, leaves, and seeds during the warm weather, and hibernate in warm, dry places during the winter.
