Soapy Water!

I don't believe you'll find this tip on Pinterest, so here you go.  You can thank me later!

I used this Windex product back in the spring to spray the outside of all the windows of my house.  It did a pretty good job at cleaning them and they were streak free as claimed.  The key part is this bottle has the ability to stream long distances.

So, instead of recycling, I saved the bottle with the following specific fall use in mind and let me tell you, it didn't disappoint; worked like a charm.

Every year around this time in the fall, the south and west sides of my house attracts Box elder bugs and stink bugs, see pics below, GRRR!  They amass hiding under the clapboards, behind the shutters, wherever they can.

They're not dangerous and don't do any harm to me or the dog or the house, with one exception - their poop!  They poop everywhere and it stains the house, double GRRR!

However, here's the good news and why I saved the above bottle. The Box elder bugs can be controlled and killed simply by spraying them with soapy water!  SO, every couple of days now for the past several weeks, I pour a generous helping of Dawn liquid soap into the bottle and fill up with warm water.  Attach it to my hose and spray the sides of my house, behind the shutters and under the clapboards.  This bottle does a terrific job at reaching the second floor windows, nooks and crannies from the ground and has some good force with it also. AND boy-o-boy does it flush these dudes out good.  Although, mostly effective, it doesn't kill them all but does well enough and helps to spray their poop off the house too.

If it's not the deer or the rabbits or the woodchucks, it's these darn insects.

It's a battle and I'm holding my own!