Box Elder Bugs

boxelder bugs

Box elder bugs are common pests over much of the United States. Adults are about 1/2 inch long.

They are bright red or black with narrow reddish lines on the back.

Box elder bugs feed principally by sucking juices from the box elder tree, but are sometimes found on other plants.

They do very little damage to the trees they attack, but at certain times of the year they can become a nuisance. Box elder bugs develop by gradual metamorphosis, from egg, to nymph, then to adult.

When box elder bugs build up to large populations and invade a home they are usually pests only by their presence, although their piercing-sucking mouthparts can sometimes puncture skin, causing slight irritation.

Adult box elder bugs will enter structures into the fall, seeking winter shelter.


Box elder bugs can come out even during the dead of winter when it is cold outside and the sun is shining.

They will then emerge in the spring to seek out host trees on which to feed and lay eggs.

How to get rid of box elder bugs

Once box elder bugs have become established in the home, there aren't a lot of treatment options. There are not a lot of recommended chemical measures at this point.
The easiest way to remove box elder bugs, once they are indoors, is with a vacuum cleaner.

However, PREVENTION , is the best of all choices .
This is done during the Fall time.

Recommended residual insecticides

To help prevent box elder bugs, cluster flies, lady bugs and similar pests from entering in the fall, spray fast-acting synthetic pyrethroids such as the ones listed below on the exterior walls of the structure:

Save 10% on D-Fense SC and Cyper WSP
(now through 03/23/16)
Enter: fall15 at the shopping cart

d fense scD-Fense SC
1 pt of D-Fense SC yields 11-22 gallons of finished product

cyper wspCyper WSP

D-Fense will dry without a visible residue, while Cyper WSP can be seen against darker surfaces. Both products will last 2-3 months on the surface once sprayed.

Shady areas are less likely to attract box elder bugs.

Mechanical means of exclusion

Sealing box elder bugs out by caulking cracks and around utility service openings, fixing broken window screens and door jams, plugging cracks in the foundation or roof as well as similar exclusion-type activities will help prevent the box elder bugs from entering in the first place.