Ladybug Swarm

[Anonymous Poster]

I had many thousand ladybugs on my cream colored house and barn yesterday. I'm housebreaking a puppy and every time I went through the door a bunch of them would get in, many of them on my clothes, skin and hair. Some of the bugs that got under my shirt did bite. The bugs prefer the sunny wall, but I have them on all four sides. I vacuumed the ones in the house, but I would really like to get rid of these critters. I'm sure they'll be back today as soon as it gets warm and sunny. I don't mind killing them, but don't want to use serious poisons near the house because of the puppy. Any ideas?

 

[rmorgan]

Dave--

I'll be interested to see how the farmers among us react to your question; you may get some offers to come buy them from you. See the link at http://www.encyclopedia.com/articles/07145.html. At our house, we count ourselves lucky, even if a little inconvenienced, when the ladybugs swarm on (or even the few that get in) the house, because they are highly beneficial in the yard and garden and a healthy population this fall means many fewer pests next year. They can have a little bite, but they don't seem to me near bad as a mosquito (or maybe I just tolerate them better because they're friends in the long run). As far as I know, they won't do any damage of any sort (as long as you don't eat them; they're not toxic, but they taste reaallly bad/w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif--part of their defense system, I assume). Please do some research before you kill off these girls; ladybugs are a significant part of natural balance, and if you eliminate them you might have a population explosion of a nastier sort next year.

Rick

 

[HalseyGreen]

Dave, where do you leave? Here in central Virginia (Louisa County) I am told, lady bugs were imported to reduce the population of Pine Post Beatles that were destoring the pulp wood stands. I haven't seen the swarming yet this year yet, but the past 2 years (all I have lived down here) they were just like you have, first year I was working outside and they were so thick that I had to guit. I have been told that there is not much that you can do to rid yourself of them and insectide treatments do not last long and are more of a "keep them off your building" verses kill them treatment.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I live in Western New York. We have already had a few frosts and a few flakes of snow. Yesterday was the first warm day in a couple weeks. I'm sure they are just looking for winter hibernation sites, and I wouldn't mind if they wouldn't swarm all over me, and come in the house. I would just stay in or out away from the house except for the puppy that needs to be housebroken (he is a guide dog puppy, so I can't just throw him in the kennel and forget him).

 

[DaveNH]

Here's another good site for additional info.
http://www.acn.purdue.edu/cnty/porter/epa/ag/ladybugs.html

We're all in this together! (3)
Retired Yuppie Tractor Owner

 

[snowman]

Have the same situation in my house (central NY) - came home yesterday and my wife said that I to come "look at this" - windows on the west side of the houe were covered with them and they were on the walls and ceilings.

Had the same problem in the spring.

Just got out the shop vac....

 

[Richard]

Posted from the article

"The adults gather in large numbers in the fall, prior to winter hibernation, and are often collected at that time by farmers for use in pest control."

If one was to gather them in fall, prior to winter hibernation WHAT do you do with them?? Store them in freezer or fridge?

Come along spring bring them out to thaw?

This is interesting (that is, until I go for a scoop if ice cream in the dark in middle of night & pick up wrong container....) /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

Richard

 

[beenthere]

Are you really talking about ladybugs or the Asian beetle that have cropped up over the last few years?

 

[DaveM]

Dave,

Sorry, I don't have a solution for you. I'm in NY also (Southern Tier/Finger Lakes region) but haven't seen any swarms of Lady bugs this year. Instead, for the past couple of weeks we've been invaded by Stink bugs! Not exactly swarms but large numbers all around and in the house. And they DO stink if messed with! /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif Hopefully you and I won't have long to wait before they hibernate.

Good Luck- Dave

 

[TonyC]

Every Spring, like clockwork, we have a huge Ladybug hatching...INSIDE the house. I don't know when the cycle started but they evidently lay their eggs somewhere. My main room has a 28 ft ceiling and they all congregate at the top of it trying to get out. The worst part is, I have a house full of house plants with whiteflies and aphids and the dunb b*****ds wont leave the window long enough to come down and eat them. So much for beneficial insects!