Letting the bugs out

[stuckmotor]

Somehow wasps by the dozen and lady bugs by the hundreds seem to find their way into my mother's old farm house and screened porch where they spend the winter unobserved. They must be asleep in cracks somewhere. When they get ready to leave in the spring they go to the window or the screen on the porch and can't find a way to get out. Even if the window is open on the bottom they're trapped. They seem to instinctively crawl toward the top and seldom toward the bottom. I've found that making a small opening at the top of the screen and lowering the double hung windows and storms from the top "BEFORE THE WASPS COME OUT" solves most of this problem. NOTE: STINGS CAN BE PAINFUL AND SOMETIMES DEADLY. I DISCLAIM ALL LIABILITY IF ANYONE TRIES THIS AND IS STUNG!

 

[jack707]

I just kill em.

 

[JRobyn]

We have the problem too, especially ladybugs. Most of ours congregate in high half-round fixed windows, so no possibility of "letting them out". Two things I've found to be effective:

1) take a small jar lid, place it as high as possible in a flat place on the window frame and put a tablespoon or two of diatomaceous earth in it with a drop of honey in the middle. I put one in each of the most visited windows. They are attracted to the honey and then get diatomaceous on them which kills them. Diatomaceous is non-toxic to any mammals, but deadly to bugs with a hard exoskeleton, so it is safe to use around the house. Some even use it as a dietary supplement. This has massively reduced the population.

2) It is quite satisfying to suck them up with the shopvac with a long rigid extension and a soft plastic tool. A quick shot of bug killer into the shop vac just before shutting it off is the final touch. Best not to use an aerosol bug spray with a flammable propellant.

 

[Zerk]

I used to suck them up. Haven't been seeing them around here like used to. Sometimes you can find them wintering, under something.

 

[oosik]

Every spring its the same here. I get what we call locally - sage bugs. Small oval shaped brown bugs. They don't sting, bite or hurt anything and live only a day or so. I gather them daily with my handy dandy hand vac. This will go on for 3-4 weeks and then they are all gone.

 

[stuckmotor]

Now if we could only get rid of the fire ants.

 

[check]

We get the same thing happening with flies at our rental cottage. We suck them up with the vacuum.

 

[Thomas]

Lady bugs in the fall about 3 weeks are heavy and find way to get in side,hand held small vacuum does the trick.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I have found the bug bombs work wonders.

 

[teejk]

Near as I can figure the lady bugs are actually a different Asian beetle introduced by the USDA to combat pests harmful to the soybean farmers. Sounds about right since they only appear when harvest starts. Our house is new and "tight"...but apparently not tight enough for them. My wife got tired of fighting them and hired an exterminator to spray something around the doors and windows. I hate to use a chemical answer to anything but...

Btw...We had a septic issue a few years ago that required me to inspect the tank filter in the dead of winter...it was FULL of little black dots that I'm sure were the larvae of those beetles...a 3 chamber system ensures clean water in that chamber...and nice and warm 9' down...