Friday, June 12, 2009
Bugged
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think these are young box elder bugs, living in our sprinkler system control box. They are all over. It's gross. Anyone know of a good way to get rid of all of them? Otherwise, it looks like I'm going to have an army of box elder bugs all over the south side of our house in the fall. Boo. Hiss.
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3 comments:
Mike: Box elder bugs are pretty easy to kill and most broad spectrum insecticides will do the trick. Soap sprays (incl. many organic products) can also work on box elder bugs. The problem with the soaps is they are more likely to damage your plants (esp. the leaves), esp. when you have a lot of bugs to kill.
Spray them in the late evening (dusk) so the insecticide sits overnight, when the bugs come out the most.
Given that you have so many bugs, I think you should stick to the traditional chemicals. I recommend Bayer Advanced Complete Insect Killer, Triazicide, or Malathion. Buy the concentrates and mix 'em (buying ready-to-use often means you get a product that's gone inert while sitting on the store shelf). The Bayer and Triazicide give you better residual (can last a few weeks) but malathion will give you the quickest kill (if you want 'em gone NOW). If you go with malathion, don't be too shocked by the smell (it STINKS). The Bayer will stink the least.
And since Lola explained how the soap works, I'll explain that malathion is an organophosphate nerve agent which inhibits the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, causing overstimulation of the bug's nervous system. Triazicide contains a synthetic pyrethroid (a man-made version of the natural pyrethrins found in chrysanthimum flowers), which paralyze insects by keeping sodium channels open in the bug's nervous system, resulting in excess nervous excitation. Bayer Complete also contains a pyretroid, but adds a neonicotinoid for systemic action (it is absorbed into the plant). Neonicontinoids use nicotine to paralyze the bug's nervous system.
For what it's worth, organophosphates generally present the greatest toxicity to mammals (because mammals also have the same acetylcholinesterase enzyme in their nervous systems), while pyrethroids and neonicotinoids are generally lower toxicity. However, while an organophosphate, malathion is a very mild version. This characteristic, combined with the fact that it goes inert so quickly (hence the lack of any residual), probably explains how it has remained legal despite stiffer regulation.
Killing bugs with chemicals ROCKS!
Lola: I've also had luck spraying them with soapy water, though that will only kill the ones you hit directly. (It works by dissolving some oil they have on their bodies that they need to absorb oxygen, so they essentially suffocate.)
Mike: P.S. Dusts (such as Sevin dust or Bayer Advanced Complete Insect Dust) can also work, assuming the bugs will come into contact with the dust. It is messier, as you will see the dust.
Ditto.
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