Boxelder bugs!

[jacko147]

So we went on our first trip of the year and the weather was great! unfortunately the warm weather brought out tons of boxelder bugs at the campground we were at, they were constantly crawling on my rv, I know some must have got in some cracks, we typically dont see them where we live, should I be worried they are going to reproduce and infest my trailer?

[down_home]

Box Elder Bugs are referred to as good bugs. They want bother us but might cover us.
They live on Female Box Elders and some times Maples, which the Box Elder is part of the family.
Mom had several huge Box Elders and the things covered the side of the house and garage. I sprayed them every insecticide I could buy and then straight alcohol, on the trees and gasoline. I might have killed a few but I couldn't tell it.
Only solution is to get rid of Box Elders with forked trunks, the females.

[rockhillmanor]

pnichols wrote:
We had a bad bout of ladybugs on the outside and inside of our RV a couple of years ago. We dealt with them the same way we deal with no seeums, spiders, mosquitoes, flys, etc. in our RV ... we just suck them up with the vacuum and tape over the vacuum hose for a day or two. We've never had any bug escape from the vacumm anyway, as I think that the whole procedure shocks them to death. Works like a champ and it's quick - you can vacuum up hundreds of bugs in just a few minutes.

What I do is buy a cheap brand flea collar for dogs. Cut it up in little pieces and put it IN the vacuum bag. That will KILL any and all bugs you suck up. :C

[jnharley]

We purchased a handheld vacuum so suck up the never ending Asian beetles and that works great. I would assume it would work with any bug that moves slow enough to be caught.

[pnichols]

We had a bad bout of ladybugs on the outside and inside of our RV a couple of years ago. We dealt with them the same way we deal with no seeums, spiders, mosquitoes, flys, etc. in our RV ... we just suck them up with the vacuum and tape over the vacuum hose for a day or two. We've never had any bug escape from the vacumm anyway, as I think that the whole procedure shocks them to death. Works like a champ and it's quick - you can vacuum up hundreds of bugs in just a few minutes.

[doxiemom11]

The old regular blue color dawn is cheaper and works as well. Can also be used for aphids and other pests in your flowers or veg garden.

[MFL]

rockhillmanor wrote:
In the Midwest they would cover an entire wall of your house on the sunny side. I put a lot of dawn in a hand held water bottle sprayer, just short of where the sprayer bottle would not spray if too much was added. Or where the water inside the bottle turned a medium orange from the dawn.

For me just one time application did the trick after seeing them.

Just a note don't let your pets get at them or eat them they have a toxic juice in them. Tastes bad so they do spit them out but then there are the determined dumb dogs that do keep eating them!

This also works on those Chinese biting lady bugs too.

Thanks for replying!

Jerry

[rockhillmanor]

In the Midwest they would cover an entire wall of your house on the sunny side. I put a lot of dawn in a hand held water bottle sprayer, just short of where the sprayer bottle would not spray if too much was added. Or where the water inside the bottle turned a medium orange from the dawn.

For me just one time application did the trick after seeing them.

Just a note don't let your pets get at them or eat them they have a toxic juice in them. Tastes bad so they do spit them out but then there are the determined dumb dogs that do keep eating them!

This also works on those Chinese biting lady bugs too.

[MFL]

rockhillmanor wrote:
Real simple fix.

Dawn dish soap and water in a spray bottle.....box elder bugs gone!

How strong of solution, Dawn to water? 32 oz bottle...few drops of Dawn?

Do you need to spray whole side, or just spot area to deter?

Jerry

[Yak]

rockhillmanor wrote:
Real simple fix.

Dawn dish soap and water in a spray bottle.....box elder bugs gone!

This!!

[Johno02]

Here is your best solution:

bug sucker

[rockhillmanor]

Real simple fix.

Dawn dish soap and water in a spray bottle.....box elder bugs gone!

[NYCgrrl]

jacko147 wrote:
So we went on our first trip of the year and the weather was great! unfortunately the warm weather brought out tons of boxelder bugs at the campground we were at, they were constantly crawling on my rv, I know some must have got in some cracks, we typically dont see them where we live, should I be worried they are going to reproduce and infest my trailer?

Yes?

https://www.orkin.com/other/box-elder-bug/