Jackson's Actions

All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reason, passion, and desire. --Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC) <

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!