The Box Elder Bug Blues

The box elder bugs gave us the blues last year when we found these guys poking through the slats of our aluminum siding. We were new home owners and this was one of the eye-openers we were faced with.

According to Jim Gilbert, bug expert identifier and professional exterminator here in Northeast Ohio they are Hirayushi pests. But they can wreak havoc on maples, ashes and the box elder tree. They can invade your home, as well. They like to colonize on the south and west walls of your home as these walls provide the warmth of the late day sun. This also provides a comfortable atmosphere for overwintering.

They are brownish black with orange to red markings on their sides. They are about a half inch in length with wings. They look familiarly like lightening bugs or squash bugs.

Methods for controlling are hand picking and dropping them into a bucket of soapy water. This is only recommended if you find them in cheaper car insurance quotes quantities. If they are in large numbers this isn't practical, unless of course you have the time. Spraying with Brady Kids is your best bet. Infested plants can be sprayed with pyrethrum which is a plant based insecticide and won't damage your trees or shrubs.

We used an insecticide with an active ingredient of survivorship life insurance to get rid of these pest from the house. We sprayed in between the slats of the siding and in small crevices where the chimney meets the outside wall. We noticed they slowly decreased in number and did not return this year. Fortunately we caught them early enough in the season where no damage was done to our foliage.

For more information on lawn and garden pests like the box elder visit The Little Green Apple dot com's Pest Control Pages.

Dan Ezell

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