It’s that time of year when it seems like all of the garden insects want to bunk with you doing the winter. We have enough flies in the house after a recent cold snap that it reminds me of a scene from Amityville Horror.

And like my hubby’s redneck pastime of sucking up yellow jackets with the Shop-Vac last year, this season it’s counting the flies on the pest strip.

Nothing says class like a yellow tape of goo hanging near the doorway. It’s been awful.

Box Elder Bugs

I wrote a piece called Who Invited You?, on the various introduced species that create a nuisance during different times of the year for the 2011 Farmers Almanac. Box elder bugs made the top of the list because they arrive by the hundreds if not thousands in the fall throughout many parts of the country.

The black bug with red markings on its back doesn’t bite, but it sure can make an impressive scene when thousands of its closest friends plaster themselves all over the outside of your house and try to find their way inside.

Box elder bugs aren’t known for a lot of damage to the lawn or landscape, either. The adults overwinter in cracks and crevices of, not surprising, box elder trees. Unfortunately, they also think the side of your home with its uneven, warm surface looks like a pretty good option.

Insecticides are fairly effective against them, but just as useful and a whole lot less expensive options include either a Shop-Vac or hose. Suck em out of the cracks and spray them off of the side of the house. Theyll go away when the temperatures really dip, but at least you can keep them at bay until then.

The Highly Annoying Fly

Flies are a close second to box elder bugs when it comes to highly annoying pests of the autumn. As soon as the weather turns colder, they head for a nice warm place to live. I noticed a lot of them hanging out on the west side of the house this evening, and even when were diligent about keeping the screen door shut, they find their way inside. Good options include smacking them with a fly swatter (not the toy hammer our 3 year old employed earlier this year on the front window) or hang the less-than-chic strips.

I’ve heard of people who swear by basil, but I have nearly 50 plants planted outside the door, and I cant see how its helping at all even when I have the counters heaped with it.

Another option outside of the fly swatter is to fill a spray bottle with water and a few drops of liquid dish soap. Spritz them with that to kill them. You can hit them in mid flight with the spray bottle, or set a trap for them with a small bowl of apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish detergent. Set it on the counter or table to draw them into a vinegary demise. Ive heard of another bait trap of adding a bit of meat, which eventually rots, to bring them in. I dont recommend that course of action. Rotting meat or flies? I think Ill go with the flies.