Sealing entry points and clearing boxelder bugs that gather on siding and overwinter in farmhouse walls.
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Boxelder bug control deals with a nuisance insect that does not bite or sting but gathers on the sides of houses and gets indoors in autumn through cracks, windows, doors and under siding. The work is to close those entry points before the autumn move, clear the ones already inside, and check for a return on warm days in late winter.
Boxelder bugs are a common nuisance on farmhouses in this part of Indiana, and the complaint is usually the same: a cluster of dark insects with red markings on the sunny side of the house in autumn, then a scatter of them indoors over the winter. Purdue Extension publication E-24 says boxelder bugs do not bite or sting. The problem is the nuisance indoors rather than a biting pest, and that difference matters when a homeowner decides how urgent the work is.
The insect's habits explain the timing. According to Purdue, adults look for protected cracks and crevices to overwinter in, and they get into a house through cracks in the foundation, around windows and doors, and under siding and shingles. On warm, sunny days in late winter or early spring they become active again, leave their shelter and look for egg-laying sites. A Purdue Extension county article notes that they tend to cluster on the sides of houses before they get in.
Purdue's county extension writing also makes a comparison worth knowing: it calls the brown marmorated stink bug the bigger fall-invader problem in Indiana. For boxelder bugs, the practical lesson is the same as for the other autumn pests. The entry points have to be closed before the entry season, not during it. For the wider set of autumn openings, see Rodent Exclusion and Sealing, and for the cluster fly question that often comes up in the same old farmhouse, see Cluster Fly Control.
Boxelder bugs do not bite or sting. They are a nuisance rather than a biting pest, and the trouble is that they gather in windows and wall corners through the winter.
Purdue Extension describes them as a nuisance once they are indoors, not as a pest that bites or damages the house. Most homeowners notice them because of the numbers, especially in sunny rooms where the insects collect.
The bugs can be seen on the ceiling, on window sills and in the frames. They tend to stay quiet through the cold, then become more visible on warm days, which is when many calls come in.
According to Purdue Extension, they enter through cracks in the foundation, around windows and doors, and under siding and shingles.
The cracks at the foundation and the joints around windows and doors are the first places to check. A small gap is enough for an adult to get through, and the insects tend to gather on sunny walls before they find a way in.
Under the siding and shingles the bugs find a sheltered space that stays out of the weather. Sealing that space is often the most useful repair, and it can be done from the outside with the right materials.
Warm, sunny days wake overwintering adults, which leave their shelter to look for egg-laying sites. A warm spell in late winter can bring a few out, even after a long cold spell.
The insects are not breeding indoors in the way a population would grow. They are waking from the shelter they chose in the autumn, and the warm weather is the signal for them to move.
The insects that come out in late winter are usually the ones already inside the walls or attic. The check in late winter helps the technician see which routes are still open.
Purdue's suggested approach for insects already indoors is a fly swatter and a vacuum cleaner, or a broom and dust pan, and that is a reasonable first step.
A vacuum removes the insects that are on the window or wall, and a broom and dust pan clears those on the floor. The vacuum bag or canister should be emptied outdoors, away from the house.
Clearing the insects does not close the way in. The entry points still need sealing, or the insects will keep arriving in the next warm spell. The technician advises on both steps.
The number of sides of the house that need work, the size of the house, the number of entry points, the height of the siding and whether sealing is included all change the price. The price is explained and approved before work starts.
A small house with a few gaps on one side is a short job. A larger farmhouse with siding on several sides, high trim and many window frames is a longer one, and the time spent reaching each entry point shows up in the price.
Sealing is usually the biggest part of the work. No figure is given in advance, and no work starts until the homeowner has seen the price and agreed to it.
Do not spray a product into a wall or attic to stop bugs, because the product can end up where people and pets are. Do not climb a ladder alone to seal eaves or siding in cold or wet weather, since ice and wet shingles are hard to stand on. Vacuum bags and canisters should be emptied outdoors, not in a garage or house. Keep any product away from children and pets, and follow its label.
The technician walks the outside of the house, looking at the siding, shingles, trim, foundation and window and door frames. Clusters on sunny walls and the gaps that lead behind siding are noted. The outside is checked first because the entry points are visible there and nowhere else.
Inside, the technician checks the window and door frames, the attic access, the ceiling corners and the rooms that face the sun. The inspection notes where insects are collecting and which openings look like the way in. This shows which repairs matter most.
Cracks in the foundation, gaps around window and door frames, and openings under siding and shingles are closed with materials suited to each gap. The technician works outward from the places where bugs were found, so the repair matches the route. The work is finished before the autumn entry season where possible.
Insects already indoors are removed by vacuum or by a broom and dust pan, the same approach Purdue suggests for homeowners. The technician advises on cleanup and on how to keep the vacuum bag or canister emptied outdoors. No product is placed inside living spaces for this step.
A check in late winter or early spring looks for insects coming out on warm days and for any new gaps that have opened. Any repair not finished is listed, and the next visit is set for when a technician is free.
Older farmhouses with wood siding and shingles give bugs many places to hide behind the boards. The work is closing the gaps under the siding and around the trim, and the technician checks the sunny sides first. The repair is often the main job, and cleanup is a smaller step.
Frame houses from the gas and oil boom years often have window and door frames that have settled, leaving cracks that let bugs in. The work is sealing those cracks and checking the foundation joint. These houses can need more sealing than a newer building, and the technician explains what is found.
Brick houses often have wood trim, soffits and attic vents that give bugs a way in. The work covers the trim, the vents and any gap between the brick and the frame. The mortar is checked too, since small cracks there can lead into the wall.
Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix, and what boxelder bug control should cost.
Old farmhouses on the section roads around Montpelier often have wood siding and shingles, and the sunny sides of those houses are where the insects gather in autumn. The sealing work follows the siding line and the window frames, and the outbuildings near the house are checked for the same gaps.
The old frame houses in the towns of the area, including Eaton and Albany, have window and door frames that have settled over the years. Those frames can leave cracks that matter for bugs as well as for other pests, so the same entry-point check applies there.
The timing is the local point. The autumn entry season and the late-winter return are both driven by the weather, and a visit in late summer gives the most room to finish the sealing before the bugs arrive. A late-winter check then catches any gap that was missed.
Inspection and sealing for cluster flies that gather in the attics and wall voids of older farmhouses around Montpelier.
Closing the gaps, fitting door sweeps and screening vents that let rodents back in after a cleanup.
A seasonal plan for indoor and outbuilding pests in farmhouses and small-town houses around Montpelier.
Nuisance ants moving into Montpelier kitchens and farm buildings from lawns, gravel drives and field edges once the ground warms.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Pest activity around Montpelier follows a cold Indiana year.
Boxelder bugs and brown marmorated stink bugs are the fall invaders that Purdue University Extension material names for Indiana.
They do not bite or sting, according to Purdue Extension. They are a nuisance indoors rather than a biting pest. Their numbers and the way they collect in sunny rooms are what make them a bother to homeowners.
Call (855) 974-4733. Phones are answered 24/7, and a visit the same day is possible when a technician is free. No arrival time can be promised.
Sealing reduces the number of routes they can use, which tends to cut the numbers that get inside. A technician cannot promise an outcome, but the sealing is the step that most affects how many come in the next season.
Warm, sunny days wake the adults that overwintered in the house or the walls, and they leave their shelter to look for egg-laying sites. The insects that come out are often the ones already inside.
A technician can advise, but Purdue's suggested approach for insects indoors is a vacuum or broom and dust pan. Products are placed according to their labels, and not inside living spaces for this work.
No. It is a different insect, and Purdue's county extension writing calls it the bigger fall-invader problem in Indiana. The sealing that stops boxelder bugs also helps with other insects that get in through the same gaps.
The price is set after the inspection and explained on site. It depends on the number of sides, the entry points, the height of the work and whether sealing is included. The homeowner approves it before any work starts.