If you’ve spotted bugs crawling on your walls or noticed spiders showing up inside your home over the last few weeks, you’re not imagining things — and you’re not alone. Our team is getting calls from homeowners across Salem, Keizer, and the surrounding Willamette Valley asking the same question: Where did these come from, and why are they here?
The short answer: this is completely normal for spring in western Oregon. The longer answer is worth understanding, because it changes what you should actually do about it.
We put together a full breakdown in this month’s Tech Talk — watch it below, then keep reading for what it means specifically for homes in the Salem area.
The Bugs on Your Walls: Boxelder Bugs
The boxelder bugs showing up on your siding and walls right now are the same ones that were there last fall. They’ve spent the winter in a dormant state — inside wall voids, attics, or other sheltered spots — and the first warm stretch of weather wakes them up all at once.
Here in the Willamette Valley, this pattern has become more common in recent years. Salem and Keizer both have a lot of established tree canopy, including maple and boxelder trees, which provide exactly the food and habitat these insects thrive on. As neighborhoods develop and mature landscaping fills in around homes, boxelder bug populations follow.
What to do right now:
- Inside the home: Vacuum them. It sounds too simple, but it’s the most effective method. The population indoors isn’t going to grow — these bugs don’t reproduce inside — so vacuuming actually resolves the problem.
- Outside the home: Focus on the side of your house that gets afternoon sun. That’s where the highest concentration will be clustering on warm days. An exterior treatment can knock down the adults and speed up their departure significantly.
- The honest caveat: Exterior treatments work better as a preventive measure in the fall, before boxelder bugs find their way inside. If you’re dealing with them now, treatment can still help — but fall is when you really get ahead of it.
The Spiders: Normal, But Worth Paying Attention To
Spring is also when we start getting spider calls from Salem-area homeowners — even though most people associate spiders with fall. Both seasons see increased activity, just for different reasons. In the fall, spiders are searching for mates and winter harborage. In the spring, they become active hunters and many species hatch new egg sacks.
Most spiders appearing indoors this time of year are incidental. They’re not setting up a permanent residence — they wandered in through a gap around a door, window, or utility line.
That said, a spider sighting inside your home is sometimes worth taking seriously — not because spiders are dangerous (most in the Salem and Keizer area are harmless), but because spiders follow their food. If they’re inside, there may be other insect activity going on that you haven’t noticed yet.
What you can do:
- Seal door sweeps and window frames — this is the #1 entry point we find in Salem-area homes
- Keep vegetation trimmed back from the exterior of the house
- Knock down webs and remove egg sacks when you spot them
- Consider a perimeter treatment if you’re seeing consistent activity
Spring Is the Right Time to Get Ahead of This
One of the most common things we hear from homeowners in Woodburn, Aurora, and the broader Marion County area — especially those new to western Oregon — is that they didn’t expect pest pressure to start this early. The Willamette Valley’s mild, wet winters mean pest activity ramps up faster than in other parts of the country.
The good news is that spring is actually a great window to start thinking proactively. You can’t undo the boxelder bugs that got inside this year, but you can start building a barrier now that makes next fall — and next spring — much easier to deal with.
That’s exactly what our All Seasons Pest Plan is built for. Rather than reacting to each new pest as it shows up, we treat on a schedule that matches the actual pest calendar for western Oregon — so we’re addressing what’s coming before it becomes a problem inside your home.
Now Serving Salem, Keizer, Woodburn, and Aurora
Interstate Pest Management has been serving Pacific Northwest homeowners since 1963, and we’re proud to now be expanding our service area throughout the Salem metro and surrounding Marion County communities. If you’re in Salem, Keizer, Woodburn, Aurora, or Hubbard and you’re dealing with boxelder bugs, spiders, or just want to get ahead of spring pest activity — we’re right down the road.
Give us a call or visit our Salem location page to schedule service. We’d love to meet you.