Sealing the gaps where boxelder bugs and brown marmorated stink bugs enter, and removing the autumn insects gathered on sunny walls.
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Boxelder bug and stink bug control seals the gaps autumn insects use, removes those gathered on warm south and west walls, and reviews the wall voids where they overwinter. Both species slip into wall voids until spring, so exclusion is the main control. Tinley Park Pest Control connects Cook County callers with a local technician.
Boxelder bugs and brown marmorated stink bugs are not a threat to the structure, but they are a steady autumn nuisance. They gather on the sunny south and west walls of a house as the days shorten, cluster around windows and doors, and then slip through small gaps into the wall voids and the attic to overwinter.
The problem shows up in the house in the cooler months. A stink bug released from a wall in a warm room gives off an unpleasant odour, and a boxelder bug can stain a curtain or a sill if it is crushed. Neither one breeds indoors, and neither one is a food pest, but both can be a source of constant annoyance once they are inside.
Exclusion is the main control, because the insects are looking for the same gaps the mice and spiders use. The technician checks the south and west walls, the window and door trim, the soffit and the vents, and the homeowner is told what to seal. Call (855) 974-4733 in late summer or early autumn, before the insects have settled into the wall.
Do not spray a household insecticide on the siding, the windows or the vents, since it can drift onto plants, pets and people. Do not crush boxelder or stink bugs by hand, because the odour and the stain are hard to remove. Wash your hands after handling insects or sealing materials. Keep products away from children and pets, and call (855) 974-4733 for the sealing and the treatment.
The technician looks at the south and west walls first, since those gather the most insects. Window and door trim, the siding corners, the soffit, the vents and the places where a pipe or cable passes through the wall are checked for gaps.
Boxelder bugs and brown marmorated stink bugs are often mixed together on the same wall. The technician notes which species is present and when it gathers, since that changes the timing of the sealing and the cleanup.
Insects clustered on a wall are vacuumed or swept into a bag and removed, rather than crushed, since crushing releases a smell and can stain the surface. Insects on the siding are not sprayed in large numbers, because the label does not allow it in most cases.
Gaps around window and door trim, the siding corners, the soffit and the vent screens are sealed with a flexible material and a finer mesh. The sealing is planned before the cold, since insects use the first warm days of autumn to find an opening.
Where insects are already inside a wall void and the label permits it, a residual product is applied to the gaps at the top and bottom of the void. The technician explains that the insects can still appear indoors after the work, and that the sealing is the more lasting part.
Both insects gather on warm, sunny walls in autumn as the days shorten, and they look for a sheltered place to overwinter. The south and west walls get the most sun, and they become the staging area before the insects slip into the walls.
Boxelder bugs feed on the seeds of the boxelder tree and gather near trees and fences before moving to the house. The brown marmorated stink bug is a larger, shield-shaped insect that also gathers on warm walls and then looks for shelter inside.
The University of Illinois Extension describes these insects as autumn house guests that overwinter in wall voids and come out on warm days. Exclusion of the gaps is the control the extension describes, and that is the main part of this service.
They do not damage the structure or the food in the house. Their main effects are the nuisance, the odour when crushed and the stains on fabric and surfaces. They are not a structural pest and do not breed indoors.
A stink bug releases a smell when it is crushed or handled roughly, and the smell can linger on a curtain or a surface. A boxelder bug can leave a dark stain when it is squashed against a light wall or a window.
The insects in the wall are a nuisance because they come out on warm days in winter and spring. They do not need the house to survive, but they will move indoors if a gap is open.
Seal the gaps around the windows, doors, siding corners, vents and pipe penetrations with a flexible or durable material, and fit finer screens to the vents. Exclusion keeps the insects out, and it is more lasting than a spray on the walls.
A small gap at the window trim or the corner of the siding is enough for an insect to enter, and the technician checks each one from the outside. The sealing is done before the cold so that the insects do not find the gap first.
Spraying the outside of the house is limited by the label and does not stop insects that are already inside the walls. The technician explains which treatment is suitable and what the label allows, and sealing is the step that does the most good.
Vacuum insects up gently and empty the vacuum outside into a sealed bag. Do not crush them, since the smell can linger. Repeated cleaning is needed during the cooler months while insects come out of the walls on warm days.
A small, sealed bag placed outside after vacuuming keeps the insects from crawling back into the house. Cleaning the window sills and the light fixtures on sunny days removes the insects that gather there.
Insects that come out of the wall in winter are a sign that the void is still open. The follow-up visit checks the gaps and the vents, and the sealing is adjusted if any insects are still entering.
Late summer and early autumn, before the insects gather on the walls, is the time to seal. Sealing after they are inside is possible but less effective, and a late seal does not remove the insects that already overwintered.
A survey in September or early October, before the first cold, lets the technician find the gaps before the insects use them. The sealing work is then done before the insects are at their most active.
The timing depends on the weather that year. A warm autumn can bring the insects later than usual, so the technician will suggest a suitable window for the house based on what is seen.
Common on the south and west walls of a house near a tree or a fence. The insects gather on the siding and the trim, and the work focuses on the gaps at the top of the wall and the corners where the bugs settle before they enter.
The insect overwinters in wall voids and the attic, and it appears inside on warm days. The work concentrates on the attic vents, the soffit and the gaps around the pipes and cables, since those are the routes into the void.
Both species on the same house, often with spiders and mice using the same gaps. The plan covers the entry points for all of them, and the sealing is done once rather than separately for each pest.
Many Tinley Park homes have south and west walls with siding, trim and a sunny exposure that gathers insects through the autumn. A house with a tree or a fence on the sunny side tends to see more boxelder bugs, since the tree is their food source.
The detached houses built in the decades around the 1970s and 1980s often have vents, soffits and trim joints that have settled or shrunk over time. Those small gaps are the openings that let the autumn insects into the wall voids.
Autumn can stay warm into October in some years, and the insects appear on sunny days well after the leaves turn. The survey is planned for that late season rather than for the first cold snap.
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No. Boxelder bugs are smaller and red-and-black, and they feed on boxelder trees. Brown marmorated stink bugs are larger, brown and shield-shaped. Both gather on warm walls in autumn and both overwinter in the walls.
They can, if the gaps that let them in are still open. A survey and sealing before the autumn reduces the number that get inside, and a repeat visit checks that the seal has held.
The label limits how a spray may be used on siding and near windows, and a spray does not stop insects that are already inside a wall void. The technician will say which product is suitable and where it can be applied.
Insects overwintering in the walls come out on warm days, even in winter. They do not need food or water from the house, and a few may appear each time the house warms. Sealing the gaps is the way to reduce them.
They are not considered a serious health risk, but they can irritate the skin or the eyes if handled, and their odour is unpleasant. Keep children and pets from handling them, and wash hands after touching one.
A typical house can be surveyed and sealed in one or two visits, depending on the number of gaps and the access to the upper walls. The schedule is set during the survey.