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Each fall, tiny boxelder bugs look for ways to enter your home. They can slip through cracks around windows, doors, and even in between pieces of siding. Taking a few easy steps can help you be sure you keep them where they belong – outside.

Box elder bugs are most common in the Midwest and North, and even more so in areas with mple or many box elder trees. While they aren’t harmful, boxelder bugs can be a nuisance. While you can take care of them after-the-fact with pesticides, some prevention will go a long way in making sure you don’t even have to take that step.

First, try to reduce the number of bugs in your yard by getting rid of them as soon as you see them. Young boxelder bugs appear like little red peppers, about the size of a grain of salt, and tend to congregate around maple or boxelder trees. That makes them easy targets to concentrate on en masse.

If you see the numbers of boxelder bugs growing, consider using special pesticides to get rid of box elder bugs. Spray around the outside of your home to discourage the surviving bugs from creating a new colony near your house.

Sealing your home is the best, cheapest way to prevent boxelder bugs from entering, and you get the added benefits of better weatherproofing at the same time. Look for cracks in your foundation and then fill them, and look around every window to make sure that when they’re closed they’re flush with the windowsill. Even a small gap will be enough for many bugs to enter through. Another place to focus on is under and around doors. Using an inexpensive weather stripping will prevent bugs from getting in when applied correctly.

While boxelder bugs are hard to keep away altogether, you can at least take a few steps to be sure they don’t make themselves at home in your house. Many easy, inexpensive steps can be taken before using a pesticide is even called for, but if you do choose to spray a chemical, remember to be very careful and do not use it indoors.