Buggsy Master Occasional Invader Guide

The "what IS that in my bathroom" collection: Stink Bugs, Boxelder Bugs, Asian Lady Beetles, Silverfish, Firebrats, House & Cave Crickets, House Centipedes, Millipedes, Sowbugs, Pillbugs, Earwigs, Kissing Bugs, and misc. beetles. Almost all are Easy DIY. Professional products only.

Part 1: The occasional invader playbook

These pests share one story: they live outside and wander or shelter in. They don't breed indoors (silverfish/firebrats excepted), so the program is the same four moves:

1. Exterior barrier — Demand CS banded on the foundation, around doors/windows, weep holes, and utility penetrations.
2. Yard pressure — Bifen L/P granules in the mulch/turf band around the structure (watered in per label).
3. Exclusion — door sweeps, window screens, caulk, and moving mulch/leaf litter 6–12" off the foundation.
4. Moisture control — most of this list (millipedes, sowbugs, pillbugs, earwigs, centipedes, silverfish) is moisture-driven. Dehumidify the basement and half the list loses interest.

Indoors, individuals get the vacuum. Interior spraying is rarely needed and never the primary fix.

Part 2: The fall-invasion trio (stink bugs, boxelder bugs, lady beetles)

They mass on sunny south/west walls in fall looking for overwintering voids. Timing is everything: treat in September–October, not in March.

• Demand CS on the sunny walls, eaves, and around windows in early fall.
• D-Fense Dust into the entry voids (soffit gaps, siding ends, window frame gaps).
• Seal what you can BEFORE fall.
• Winter emergers on warm days: vacuum. Don't squash (stink bugs earn the name; lady beetles stain). Don't void-treat mid-winter — carcasses in walls feed carpet beetles.

Part 3: The moisture crew (silverfish, firebrats, crickets, centipedes, millipedes, sowbugs, pillbugs, earwigs)

• Silverfish/firebrats (the actual indoor breeders here): Niban granular in the attic, basement, closet corners, and voids — they're bait-takers; this quietly ends them. CimeXa in cracks for stubborn spots. Protect books/paper storage in dry rooms.
• Cave crickets: Niban in the basement/crawl/garage + dehumidifier — their population tracks moisture almost perfectly.
• House centipedes: they're eating your other pests; fix the prey and moisture and they leave. The general playbook handles them.
• Millipedes/sowbugs/pillbugs: the mulch line IS the nursery — pull it back, fix downspout splash, and run the standard barrier. Mass millipede migrations in wet autumns are weather events; barrier + patience.
• Earwigs: same program; reduce nighttime lighting that concentrates them at doors.

Part 4: The one to take seriously — kissing bugs

Kissing bugs (triatomines) can carry Chagas disease. If you find one indoors (especially bedrooms): don't squash it barehanded — jar it for ID. Demand CS perimeter + D-Fense in voids + serious exclusion (they follow lights and gaps). Repeated indoor finds = pro inspection, and mention it to your doctor/vet if anyone was bitten.

Part 5: Product list (professional grade only)

Part 6: Safety

• Label is the law. Granules get watered in; keep pets off until dry.
• Vacuum-first for indoor individuals — least chemical, most effective.

Part 7: When Buggsy says call a pro

Kissing bugs recurring indoors; fall invaders overwhelming the same house every year (systematic exclusion job); or moisture problems (crawl space, drainage) that keep feeding the pest pressure — sometimes the "pest guy" you need is a gutter, grading, or encapsulation fix.