I have a old and very large Maple tree that the Box Elders’ have found a permanent home. I’ve tried spraying repeatedly as well as hiring a pest control company with a boom to reach up high in the tree but all of these methods have not obtained much relief. Is there a way to treat the tree systemically to control them?
Boxelder bugs actually spend a lot of time on the ground in low lying vegetation so remember to treat everything around the tree using MAXXTHOR EC and MAXXTHOR SG GRANULES.
These products should be applied from April through October and will really help control local populations which in turn will help reduce the numbers you see on the tree. My point is don’t just focus on the tree; its usually the surrounding areas that need treatments and specifically the turf where they like to burrow and feed.
And remember to check to see if you have any boxelder bugs foraging on your building. This commonly happens and if they are using it for shelter during the cold months. If yes, spray the siding with the Maxxthor.
Remember, boxelder bugs overwinter since they live for several years so its highly likely they’re living somewhere around or on the home and if you find these winter locations and get them treated, you’ll do a lot of good for preventing future boxelder bug activity.
As for systemically treating your Maple tree; go with PROTHOR. This product needs to be applied 1-2 a year and if the boxelder bugs are eating any of the Maple’s leaves or seeds, they will succumb to the treatment and die.
In general, boxelders are more seed eaters and for this reason, only forage onto female trees when seeds are present. That means this typically only happens during a short time of the year.
For this reason systemics are not labeled for boxelder bugs because it can be hard for some people to tell if the tree is being used for shelter or food. And if they are only using your Maple for shelter, systemically treating it won’t help.
But in cases where they’re eating seeds or foliage, systemics can help.
Something else to consider is that the use of traditional pesticides as a spray on large trees will many times not work. This happens when you can’t reach all limbs and foliage (like it sounds is happening on your Maple). So what will happen is that the boxelders will know to avoid the treated areas and in the end, survive by staying above the treatment line (basically staying in the top section).
So with that being said, I suggest you stop having the tree sprayed with whatever you’ve been using and instead change to PROTHOR. This active is quite unique because insects will not detect its presence. This means they will readily walk over the treatment over and over because they won’t detect it.
But after walking over treated areas repeatedly, they will eventually get sick and die. This process will take several days but during this time, the active will be spread to most if not all of the boxelder bugs so the impact can be big and significant.
And if you renew the Prothor during the summer by treating the tree once every month or two as a topical spray, you’ll keep killing them without them ever realizing the Prothor is present as both a surface spray and possibly as a systemic.
In the end, this approach will prove highly successful compared to whatever active you’ve been using.
And to help you reach up 30 feet or more, get one of our NO PUMP SPRAYERS. They are easy to use and well worth the investment so you can treat the tree throughout the year yourself.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
BUGSPRAY NO PUMP 1.75 2.5 3 and 5 GALLON HIGH AIR PRESSURE SPRAYER W/30 FOOT REACH
Give us a call if you need more help. Our toll free is 1-800-877-7290 and we’re open 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Mon-Thur Eastern Standard Time.
Jonathan
Customer Care
https://bugspray.com
1-800-877-7290
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Mark Alan says
Thank you for the valuable information. I will purchase all that you suggested. One question, I have outdoor living dogs and would like to know if there are any special precautions I should take when using these products?
Tech Support says
Mark,
The only precaution needed is to keep children and pets away from the areas when you treat until they dry. This will typically take 1 hour or less. But once the treated areas are dry, there is no hazard to pets or people so everyone can come back into the treated areas and go about their normal business safe and sound.
In fact we have “safety videos” on the bottom of all our product pages and I suggest you watch some before treating. And you can also find them all in our safety FAQ section here:
Product Safety: https://bugspray.com/about-us/who_is_bugspray.html#safe_for_the_home
Cheers,
Jonathan
Customer Care
U-Spray Bugspray
http://www.bugspray.com
1-800-877-7290
JOSEPH A MATTHEWS says
40–50-YEAR-OLD BOXELDER SEEMS TO BE HEALTHY BUT DOES HAVE A HOLE IN THE BARK ABOUT 5 FEET UP THE TRUNK OOZING BLACK SLIME, NOT TOO BAD. BOXELDER BUGS SEEM TO BE COMING OUT OF THE HOLE. NEVER SAW THIS BEFORE. HAVE ALWAYS SPRAYED BUGS WITH TRIZICIDE SPRAY AS THEY ARE PRESENT IN THE TREE, ON THE GROUND BY THE TREE, AND ON THE STUCCO OF OUR HOUSE BY THE TREE. THEY ALSO LIVE IN THE DG AROUND THE TREE. THIS WORKS BUT I AM AFRAID THIS OLD TREE IS FEELING THE EFFECTS OF THE SPRAY, YEAR AFTER YEAR. SUGGESTIONS? USING GOOGLE AI HAS GIVEN MIXED OPINIONS.
Tech Support says
Joe,
First, it’s important to understand that pesticides were created to help save plants, trees, lawns and shrubs from destructive pests. And to be clear, the term “pesticide” includes things like fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, etc. If we didn’t have pesticides, the annual damage to our food crops alone would be in the 20-40% range. I could on about how beneficial they are but since you like to use Google, ask it “how helpful has the creation of insecticides been for saving trees, plants and food crops?”. Now along the way, there has been an active or two that maybe shouldn’t have been sold. But these “mistakes” have been few and far between when compared to all of the good ones.
For example, back in the 70-80-90’s we had a tree spray called Lindane that would help protect trees from pests for years. It has since been taken off the market because it was found to be too persistent which can lead to issues if it’s mis-applied or ends up where it shouldn’t be. That loss – Lindane being taken off the market – has left a gap in what we have to help save trees that is yet to be filled. At this time the best products for protecting trees are those you see being suggested in this article. They won’t last as long as Lindane but they can provide months of protection. And when it comes to pests that target trees, this is what you need.
Second, assuming you applied Triazicide as per the labeled rate, it would have had no negative impact on your Boxelder Tree. If anything, it may have killed a few of the pests that could have targeted it’s foliage or trunk/limbs. Boxelders have a long history of persecution from a wide range of pests like Twig Borers, Long horned beetles, flathead borers and carpenterworms. If I owned such a tree, I would be treating it once a year with the Maxxthor and Prothor listed above just like I treat my Oaks, Beeches and other trees I’m lucky enough to own.
At this time we’re not sure what you meant to ask in your comment because the only question we see is “Suggestions”? But if you meant to ask what can you do to save your precious tree? That’s easy.
Get it sprayed ASAP with Maxxthor and then drench inside the drip line with Prothor. If you’re lucky you can save it. Oh, and add some Joy Juice to the Prothor. Giving it some food will surely be appreciated and put to good use.
https://bugspray.com/yard/fertilizer/mont-joy-juice
Tech Support
Team Bugspray.com