ladybug question

[anthonyk]

here's a real odd one:

In the past few weeks, I've been noticing a lot of ladybugs, which I've never had in years past, all around my place and on my house.
Now, when I say a lot, I mean, literally thousands.
The window sills are full of dead ones, and I see them trapped between the screens and the windows.
My barn is full of them, dead and alive.
Any idea why suddenly we're covered in them down here? (I'm about 45 miles northwest of Houston)
Also, are there any advantages/disadvantages to tons of ladybugs?

thanks,

anthony

 

[MrJimi]

There real good for plants and they get sold by the thousands, bag some and sell them
see HERE
Jim

 

[jinman]

Any idea why suddenly we're covered in them down here? (I'm about 45 miles northwest of Houston)
Also, are there any advantages/disadvantages to tons of ladybugs?

They are a pain in the house. For me, they are not as bad as in years past, but I have them regularly this time of year in north Texas. They sure stink when you pick them up to dispose of them. They also bite. We normally suck them up with a hand vacuum and empty the bag outside to get the smell out. Two year's ago, I had a couple of tennis ball size wads of them over a door on the west side of my house. They seem to come into the house for the warmth and to breed. Then, they die and fall to the floor. Yellow wasps and ladybugs are the two worst pests that come and go with the seasons around my house. I've become good at just reaching over and grabbing a wasp with my fingers and squishing its head. I rarely get stung.

 

[MACDABS]

I live in Pa and travel to tower sites in the mountains during the summer they were everwhere in oct./nov. till the cold spell hit. Buildings and the equipment shelters were filled with those nasty little critters. They do bite and stink and our tough to kill. Someone told me they are not a typical ladybug and have no purpose. I also noticed ants are bad in the woods the last few years eating the trees from the inside out.

Macdabs

 

[MossRoad]

We get them here in Indiana in the spring and fall. In the fall they are trying to get into the house and in the spring on the first warm days, they are trying to get out. We just vacuum them up if we see them, but usually the cats play hockey with them before we get a chance.

 

[Tororider]

What MACDABS said may be true. What we have up here in Michigan by the millions are asian lady beetles, seriously. They are a little more orange than ladybugs, and I believe they bite, ladybugs don't. My inlaws have the same thing, they get in the house through cracks and then breed/hibernate. When we get a warm snap they find their way to the window and die there. We use a vacuum as well. Some years are better than others. Good luck getting them. Keep the hand vac charged up.

 

[sasquatcher]

Here's a good link describing the difference between the two beetles.
Asian Lady Beetle Infestation Of Structures | University of Kentucky Entomology

Every so many years I come across incredible swarms (for lack of a better term) of ladybugs (the red kind we know of) and am quite amazed by it. I've seen where you can see over an acre of these things flying. It's strangest thing. As posted above, apparently you can get good money for selling them. It sounds crazy, but I've actually heard over the years some stories of ladybug farmers that raise them in unknown protected locations.

This link is kind of interesting and alarming too, but I guess it's just the way the world is today. Apparently the asian lady beetles are better suited than our American lady bugs at taking care of an non-native aphid that's from China. This site also talks about the bite and the spines on the beetle's legs that also cause discomfort to those picking them up.
FAQ's about Asian lady beetles

 

[ToadHill]

As a Master Gardener, I can tell you that ladybugs are very good bugs. They ear aphids. Whey they become a problem around the house every so often, I clean them up with the shop vac and bag them into paper bags. Set them in a cold garage or barn area and open the bags in spring. They will take off and help all the farmers in the area.

 

[dqdave1]

In NE Ohio; we had a problem with aphids in maple trees; the county imported and dropped from aircraft lots of ladybugs as they will eat aphids. Now we have a ladybug problem because we are now told that there are no natural enemies of the ladybugs. As soon as the leaves fall off the trees, we find the ladybugs in and around our houses. They disappear as soon as the leaves appear in the spring.

 

[anthonyk]

thanks for the useful links. I think ya'll are right. They're probably those asian versions, as they're more orange, and have black wings.
I've got about 4 inches of them in my shop vac out in the barn right now!

anthony