Friday, February 29, 2008
Lady Bug Lady Bug Fly Away Home
I have NEVER lived anywhere before where I have ladybugs in the house! I found whole
bunches of them under a basket last year and thought they were dead. (Alas, I vacuumed them up, only to see a few more moving later.) This year, once again, I am finding them on the windows, in the carpets. They are harmless but it's very disconcerting to have any kind of BUGS in the house. They are also called Asian lady beetles, if you didn't know. I have hand-carried them outside (which apparently is exactly what they are trying to escape) so I decided to just relax and leave them in peace. Then I found one in the spaghetti sauce....
I found my complaint on another website, which included the above photo and this is a piece of the post:
"Asian Lady Beetles don't bite or sting or eat the house, but when they are there in the hundreds or more, their nuisance value is high. Once the beetles are indoors, the easiest way to remove them is with a vacuum cleaner. A regular visit to the windows, especially those on the sunny side of the house, with the vacuum can greatly reduce their numbers. Sealing as many cracks and crevices outside the house will help keep them out, but this is difficult on older homes. Perhaps the best course of action is a quiet resignation to the forces of nature. It could be worse, they could be wasps!"
From the Western North Carolina Nature Center website:
In the 1880's, ladybugs were brought over from Australia in an attempt to save orange trees in California from pests that were destroying them. Since this time, over 100 species of ladybugs have been sent over to North America. With such an over abundance of ladybugs, their biodiveristy has been damaged. They are overcrowding each other and there is high competition for food sources.
You are most likely to see ladybugs from the time that it begins to get warm outside in the spring until cool sets in the fall. When cooler weather arrives is the time when you may begin to see ladybugs in your house and garage. They are looking for a place to hibernate. Your home provides the perfect spot. It has been said that ladybugs have a tendency to travel to homes that are of a lighter color on the outside, however, they can be found in just about any home. You do not need to be alarmed if you home is bombarded by the friendly ladybugs. They have proven to be no threat to you or the area in which they inhabit. If you are searching for ladybugs, the best place to look is near ants. They ants suck sweet honeydew from aphids and therefore, where there are ants, there must be aphids. Where there are aphids, there are more likely to be ladybugs. You may also want to look under old wrinkled leaves. More likely than not, the leaves are wrinkled because they have an infestation of aphids.
As fall is approaching, you may begin to notice an influx of ladybugs into your home. Remember that the ladybugs are harmless to you. Observe and enjoy these magnificent insects. You never know, they may be stopping by to wish you a little bit of luck or pass some good fortune along your way!
Comments:
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I love ladybugs! There is something so positive about them, though not necessarily when they're in huge numbers.
One year my parents had a Christmas tree that started to make strange clicking noises. It turned out there were hundreds (maybe even thousands) of ladybugs hatching on the branches. My mom was vacuuming them up for months.
Enjoy the beauty and the luck! (But definitely keep them out of the spaghetti).
One year my parents had a Christmas tree that started to make strange clicking noises. It turned out there were hundreds (maybe even thousands) of ladybugs hatching on the branches. My mom was vacuuming them up for months.
Enjoy the beauty and the luck! (But definitely keep them out of the spaghetti).
Aw. I love ladybugs, too. (In England, they're called ladybirds.) I've had influxes on my screens but never in my sauce...
They ARE good luck, though. Make lots of wishes!
They ARE good luck, though. Make lots of wishes!
I found this site after being bitten by a lady bug. It shocked me,I have never heard of such a thing. I was outside and a brown lady bug with spots landed on my bicep. I thought nothing of it and suddenly I felt a bite. I knocked it off and saw a small round reddot bite mark. Later it was surrounded by bruising.It has been there for 3 days and the red spot is still blood red. The bruising is yellowing. I have felt no pain since...just wonder. I researched it and found out that it was an Asian Ladybug...I don't care what others say,I know they bite!
# posted by 
: 11:17 AM, June 11, 2009
: 11:17 AM, June 11, 2009
I found You can get rid of them by pouring some Dish liquid into a old paper cup n scooping them up into it.. the dish liquid is sticky n they stay put till you gather them all then throw away.. To ME, a bug is a bug n I don't want them in the house.. lol
# posted by : 3:08 AM, November 04, 2009
: 3:08 AM, November 04, 2009
A quick word from Bob the Biologist (i.e. me), I noted your post whilst scrolling through google. To add credence to previous post, yes, they do bite, though it is rare. Keep in mind, however, that if only 1 in 1000 statisticly will bite you, when your dealing with tens of thousands, odds are good. The particular species you have in the photo were imported into the Smoky Mt. National Forest to combat the hemlock wooly adelgin. Though they have prolifferated remarkably, and caused quite a nuisance, thier effect on the adelgin has been minimul if at all. They seek the warmth of your home in the fall for hibernation, causing fall infestations. They then become dormant until spring, when they seek to leave your abode. Those seen between those two times have awoken prematurely due to temperature variation. When they become to warm in thier dormant state, they awake and are trying to go out, (an ill fated journey). When they become too cool, they die (also ill fated). They congregate in large groups (i.e. thousands), and if they are in your home, they are in your walls. Typically there are enough dead "beetle bodies" in the walls of homes in thier areas to fill 3 or 4 50 gallon barrels. Studies are now being done to ascertain thier role in home fires due to electrical shortages (caused by mice or faulty wiring, or equiptment), as thier carcusses are quite flammable. A quick removal of the cover on your outlets will probably reveal thier intrusion into most electrical boxes in your home. Also, they are dormant in winter unless awoken prematurely, and not breeding or hatching at christmas. This expierance was due to them hibernating in the tree, and becoming warm, leaving prematurely. If i were to guess, id say it was an artificial tree brought down from the attic and warmed to a higher temp, presto, "hatching" asian ladybird beetles. They also stain cloth and carpet when smashed. Thank the feds again, the same wise folks who brought us multifloral rose as "natural fencing". Its ok tho, i hear they have an insect thier bringing in to fix that, lol. To "get rid" of them, seal windows in fall, crack them in spring. In the middle time, consider that they are drawn to light at night. Leave a lamp on overnight in the bathroom over a tub of soapy water, or several fly traps. good night all, and dont let the ladybugs bite.
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# posted by : 3:34 AM, June 08, 2010
: 3:34 AM, June 08, 2010 << Home
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