08/12/16

Prepare For Box Elder Bugs

Prepare For Box Elder Bugs

8/12/2016

Some things in life are constant. Every four years the Olympics come around, every August stores are filled with back to school sales, every October coffee shops have pumpkin flavored everything, and at the end of every summer large groups of box elder bugs congregate on the sunny side of homes and other buildings! Why you ask? Well, they are drawn to the warmth of the sun and are trying to find a safe, warm environment to overwinter in.

Box elder bugs are black with orange or reddish markings; they have an elongated, oval, flattened shaped body and can grow to about ½ of an inch in length. They spend their summer outside on box elder trees, maple trees, and ash trees living and feeding on the sap from their leaves. However, when the weather begins to change at the end of the summer, they start to search for indoor accommodations for the winter months; and if you are not prepared, it could be your home.

These fall invaders are not dangerous to people and are usually placed in the category of being a “nuisance pest”. However, they can cause some damages to furniture, curtains, and carpets by staining them with their excrement. And really, who wants hundreds or thousands of black and orange bugs traipsing through their home and living behind its walls for months at a time? Also, when spring rolls back around (another constant in life) you will have to deal with them again as they leave their overwintering spot to travel back through your house and outside.

The professionals at Schendel Pest Services want to provide you with some helpful tips to help you prepare to keep these nuisance pests out of your home this fall. It is important to inspect the exterior of your home and seal any cracks in the walls, replace broken or missing siding, and fix cracks and gaps found in the foundation. Check the windows and caulk spaces found around them and make sure that screens are fully intact; also install door sweeps under all exterior doors. Seal the areas in your home where cable TV wires, phone lines, and utility pipes and vents enter in; and finally, make sure to place tight-fitting screens on all roof, soffit, and attic vents.

At Schendel Pest Services we can also help you to stop box elder bugs from invading your home this fall with our safe, effective, and eco-friendly home pest control services. Through our Premium Care program our highly trained professionals perform thorough interior and exterior services and then provide quarterly follow-up visits to control pest activity. The Premium Care program is guaranteed to keep your home free of pests for one year, including keeping those pesky box elder bugs away.

Give us a call today and find out why box elder bugs are no match for the pest control professionals at Schendel Pest Services!