Dam Box Elders

Mom and Dad had several massive Box Elders. The bugs would get all oer the house and everything. They are called good bugs since they won't affect us except for the ick factor or so I understand.
I tried all kinds of bug sprays, ethanol, and gasoline. The gas of course killed a few but did a lot more damage to the test tree.
The ethanol didn't do anything.
Soapy water. If it works for others it will work for us. Don't think we tried that.