Beetles and bugs everywhere | Hutchinson Leader Mobile

Beetles and bugs everywhere Submitted by Matt McMillan on October 5, 2007 - 10:56am.

Do you have luck keeping the Asian bettles or boxelder bugs out of your home?
Several dozen were parked on my front door yesterday enjoying the sun. Opening the door meant letting them into the house. Not opening the door meant a chilly night sleeping on the lawn. I opened the door.
Jorge Sosa wrote an article two weeks ago about boxelder bugs. It recommended using insect spray or a mixture of soap and water in a spray bottle on the sunny side of the house.
Has anyone had success with this? I am going to try something on that door this weekend and report back.

Comment: I went to Menards Wednesday

Submitted by Eric Kraushar on October 5, 2007 - 12:18pm.

I went to Menards Wednesday and bought some insect spray product that a sign was recommending. I applied that to the south side of the house that day and immediately there was great results. Yesterday I came home to swarms on the east side of the house, so I did the same thing and again, good results.

I think it's called Bug Stop.

With the sun coming out this afternoon, I wonder if they'll find a new place to roam.

Comment: FYI, the soap and water

FYI, the soap and water trick is supposed to zap bugs on contact. It won't permanently bug-proof the surface you spray it on, but it provides a bit of immediate gratification.

I can't stand bugs. One nice thing about these dry summers is you get fewer mosquitoes. Then fall comes and you get more of those pesky boxelders.

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)

Comment: I was listening to KSTP's

I was listening to KSTP's Saturday morning Home & Garden radio show, and I heard a caller talking about how a product called Tempo was effectively keeping spiders out of his cabin. The talk show host said that if someone could develop an effective spray for boxelder bugs, they would have a million dollar idea. Well… it already exists.

I have discovered and used Tempo Ultra SC for the first time this fall, and have so far found that it is very effective against boxelder bugs!! We have many boxelder trees on our land, and therefore have had many boxelder bugs the past few years. We live in a 120 year old red-brick farmhouse that the boxelder bugs apparently love to visit. Last winter, we would find and flush about 20 to 30 bugs each and every day the entire winter.

I have desperately tried several things in the past, and have had little success. This year, I mixed 12 gallons of water and Tempo Ultra SC mixture and sprayed my entire house, all around the base and around all openings and gaps in the red-brick covering. I am happy to say that 2.5 weeks later, we have had no boxelder bugs to speak of. The few that have crawled into the doorway have gone belly-up within 3 feet of the door. A bottle of Tempo concentrate is about $40. I used half of this bottle so far, and plan to use the other half on or about the first hard frost. I bought mine on the internet… I do not know if any local stores carry this product.

I am very satisfied with this insecticide. It is odorless and does not stain the building. It is available in liquid and powder form. You can find out more at: http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/tempotub.htm

ps: I am not a salesperson affiliated in any way with Tempo… just a pleased homeowner in Watertown.