There’ no denying we all love the fall colors. Leaves turn all sorts of shades for us to enjoy. But along with that comes a couple of really annoying pests, boxelder bugs and wasps.
By this time in October, however, the wasps have taken a “chill” pill and aren’t as aggressive as they were in August and September.
Boxelder bugs on the other hand, are into just about everything.
Their population appears to rise and fall in cycles, with this year, apparently being a peak because they are all over the place. Kill thousands and the next day there are thousands again.
These little creatures are very creepy and first, they are attracted to boxelder and maple trees. Second, they are seeking warmth and shelter before winter sets in, so they can slip through cracks around windows and doors, which is why, they would most likely be in your house.
This season to me is almost like what some of us remember in “The Birds,” a 1963 movie by Alfred Hitchcock. OK, that might be a bit of a stretch, but I’ve lost count of the number of times they’ve been on my arms, shoulders and neck.
They’re in the house, they’re in the garage, they’re inside vehicles and the more warmth we have during our fall days, we see them all over outside.
I was sitting at my desk writing an article just like this one, when a boxelder bug landed in my cup of coffee. Being on your neck is creepy enough, but when you are about to take a sip of coffee and you see one in the cup is absolutely disgusting.
There are ways to get rid of them without using chemicals. The recommended use is soap, water and vinegar.
Yeah, I’ve tried that vinegar concoction in the past using distilled vinegar and it didn’t work. Of course, I was using 5 percent and 6 percent acetic acid vinegar.
Knowing there are stronger versions of vinegar, I sought out a product with a higher concentration of acetic acid. You can get 30 percent, 45, percent, 50 percent, 75 percent, 80 percent and 99 percent acetic acid.
In my experience with taking out these bugs, if you’re using less than 50 percent, your kill rate is going to be low or even marginal. Fifty-percent and above is quite effective, but the stronger the vinegar gets, the more you have to be concerned about safety.
For instance, 99 percent acetic acid will kill boxelder bugs, spiders, flies and wasps on contact. It will even kill bats if you have them hanging around, no pun intended. It’s also most dangerous for humans and can cause severe burns and blistering in the lungs, eyes and on the skin.
But, it’s very effective. Unfortunately, 99 percent acetic acid begins to solidify at 61 degrees Fahrenheit. So more water and less acetic acid translates to use in colder temperatures, with 5 percent working down to the same temperature water freezes, 32 F.
Another way to get rid of them is to remove their habitat. They feed on the boxelder and maple trees and take temporary shelter in the fallen leaves. If you remove the leaves, it will remove a lot of the bugs without using high concentrations of acetic acid.
But, it’s fall and they are all over the place. This past Sunday, I saw a building that had boxelder bugs along one side of that building that could have resembled a small snow drift.
Honestly, that looked scary because that isn’t the norm in nature, which is why again, this must be a peak year for them because they are everywhere.
What would you do if you found one in your coffee, or on jar of pickles in the refrigerator, or worse yet, crawling on your neck when you’re trying to sleep. You see what I mean, creepy!
