I just went in to wake up my 14 month old from her nap. I opened her blinds and was shocked to see 16 ladybugs all over her window. I live in the mid-atlantic region where it has been cold, but we are having a few days of warm weather. Does anybody have ideas how to rid of these nasty bugs that will not harm my children? My 4 year old wants to keep them as pets! Thanks!
I live in Ohio. Its winter now, but usually in the fall we get some of those rare warm spells, which we like to call "Indian Summers". HUNDREDS of ladybugs come out and start building their nests, and I'm assnuming they think its spring. Fortunately, these warm spells only last anywhere between one to three days and they die off when it gets cold again. Just wait for a while and they'll go away;it would be a huge waste of money trying to call the exterminator.
Hello! We have lady bugs all winter long here in North Dakota..they are the Asian type which prefer to overwinter indoors..basicly they are harmless and good for plants, both indoors and out...they eat aphids and other bugs that destroy plants..if they are an issue for you though, just get out the fly swatter :0)
I'm not sure if I'm talking about the same insect here - we had what we called ladybirds, (a type of small beetle with red folded wings like a little shell, with black spots), in Britain when I was a child. There is absolutely nothing 'nasty' of harmful about these bugs! We used to allow them to crawl on our hands - they don't bite/sting or otherwise cause any harm. They are beautiful and some species are very beneficial to the garden as previously mentioned. I would just sweep them up and put them back outside - and stop stressing! (If they are the same insect that is!)
Regards
Jo
I live in Indiana now, and there were thousands of them around here!! Yes, they stink and bite. I have had them in my bed, and of course, that grosses me out. Crazy, I know, but I spray vinegar on my bed when that happens, and it seems to help. Vinegar is anti-bacterial too.
My friends in Kentucky have them too, so they must be acrosss the country!
These are not Lady Bugs these are called asian beetles, nothing will actually keep them out. When it warms up they show back up. They do smell bad and will bite, but they arent venomous.
Hello there!! Just wanted to post and say....ladybugs the one's we remember as the "good guys" are reddish in color.
The ones that stink and bite and are showing up all over the place on warm days are orange in color and are the Asian variety. They are not the aphid eating ones we would like to have in our gardens :(
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Would anyone know how to get rid of ladybugs? At first I thought they were so pretty, but they have infested my walls and ceilings. I live in the country, but the windows were closed all winter.
Oh, Gertrude, this is not a problem! This is a blessing. Living in the country you need Ladybugs to rid your outdoor plants of aphids. They "hole up" in the window sashes and such in winter, but will soon disappear and you will find nary a one, unless you find them hard at work around your outdoor plants.
Sandra - Upstate NY
Capture them and sell them to a nursery, or send them to friend's who garden (esp. in the southern part of the U.S.)! Ladybugs feast on many of the garden pests that devastate gardens. I can understand why you don't want them in your house however! Please don't kill them though as they are so beneficial to have around. I would love to have some.
Helpful Reader and Holly
Here's a great online resource with information about ladybugs.
Helpful Reader
OK. I know Ladybugs are beneficial. I know they eat aphids. I now they are a great alternative to pesticides in the garden. Blah blah blah....I HATE THEM!! For those of you who say they aren't a problem and they will just hide in the sashes till spring. Or those who say to just "seal" up your house so they don't get in. To those who think a "few" lady bugs can be tolerated...you have NO IDEA what some of us are going through. Maybe you have 20 or 30 cute little bugs walking around in your house....but when fall comes I have MILLIONS all over my house. They are so thick you can't even see through them on the windows and walls outside. Seal the house up?? Sure...but when you open the door to go out or come in from outside hundreds fly in as soon as the door opens. They are in my bed, in my food, in my shower and in the closets and drawers with my clothing.
Editor's Note: Here is a good article about them and controlling them: www.thebeneficialinsectco.com/
You people don't understand they fly in your food while eating in your coffee pot and end up in your coffee. Needless to say the rest. I was sitting at the table eating dinner and one flew in my plate. Yummy! NOT. And like someone else said these are not lady bugs. They are Asian beettes and they are in my house by the thousands also. I guess I will just start trying stuff and let everyone know my progress. Best wishes to my self. I will start with the recipe given as
1/2 cup water
1 Tbs. vinegar
1 squirt dish soap
1 Tbs. sugar
Place in a milk jug near infestation.
I will give it a week and come back and post.
I found ladybugs in my spare room. Where did they come from and how do I get rid of them? Also what causes that?
By Sharon Rafferty from East Hampton, NY
Are you talking about lady bugs or Asian beetles? A big difference! You do not want to allow Asian beetles inside as they will take over by the hundreds! Buy an insecticide called "Bug Stop" and spray it around all your windows and sills at the first sign of them attacking your house in October. It will help the infestation and is residual for 9 months. These beetles will be out again in the spring and crawling all over your counters, windows, beds, etc.
To get rid of the ones inside: Double duct tape back on itself and touch the sticky side to the beetle. They cannot get loose and as long as their wings are stuck to the tape, they will not emit the terrible smell.
For those on the ceilings, have someone make a "T" shaped pole from some wood and attach the duct tape to the top of the T, again doubled back on itself so one side sticks to the pole and the top side is also sticky. Simply reach up with the pole and capture the bug.
Vacuuming is ugly, as they will smell each time the vac is turned on, plus they can crawl out of the wand.
The Asian beetles were imported by our government in the 1940's as a "natural" control for farmer's aphids on soy bean plants. However, there is no enemy of the beetles and they have multiplied by the millions and are traveling west. You are very lucky if you live in a large city where they are not prevalent due to no soy bean fields nearby.
Incidentally, they swarm to our homes, especially two story like ours, because in their natural habitat, they winter over in cliffs. Our homes are like cliffs to them.
They are not beneficial lady bugs. Do not let them loose outside once you catch them. Destroy them immediately. They will die on the duct tape or can be captured with a wet tissue and rolled up if duct tape is not handy. The wet tissue keeps them from emitting the terrible smell.
What people call the "Asian Beetle" is just a another type of ladybug, just one imported from Asia, actually a better aphid eater than our native species. They got into the attic before the weather got cold to wait out the cold and now with Spring arriving have gotten active and some are finding their way inside, probably through the ceiling light fixtures. Not a lot to do to stop them for this year.
You can apply a residual insecticide in the window sills that will kill them as they fly towards the light. Using the extension hose of the vacuum is the easiest way to catch and remove them. The release an odor that will ruin the vacuum so securing an old stocking on the hose will act as a filter keeping them out of the vacuum interior. In the summer try to seal and caulk area they can gain access into the walls and attic of the structure.
Treating the exterior of the home in late summer with a pyrethroid based insecticide will reduce their numbers trying to hibernate. (22 years doing pest control)
A black lite. It attracts them they get in the lite and it kills them. Be sure to check it often it will fill up fast. Just lay it down facing up. It works.
How can you tell the difference between regular lady bugs and the asian lady beetle?
Megan
I haven't found how to tell the difference except that if they are not red (orange or red orange), they are definitely the Asian Lady Beetles. Even if they are red, they can be. Short of counting their spots, it might be a problem to tell the difference. They are beneficial like domestic ladybugs but can be pesky in the winter. Here's a good article about them and why they want to cluster on the walls of homes:
Susan from ThriftyFun
You'll notice on the Asian lady beetles that the legs are a more of a red color where as on the ladybug, the legs are black.
I have been in my room and I have been finding ladybugs in the strangest places. My dad thinks that they are coming from the attic, but I have no patience anymore! I need help to try to get them out of my room.
By Jessica
I know lady bugs LOVE and feed on Caragana trees. They eat the aphids (green bugs). If you find a tree nearby they will all leave together. It's like they have a call and just pick up and leave! Fascinating. But the chance of having that tree nearby is probably slim? Hope it can help.?
Help, I have ladybugs in the house. I live in the country and they are everywhere. Any solutions other than an exterminator?
By beverly
Don't hurt those Ladies. Pick them up and put them outside where they can eat all of your aphids up, your roses will thank you. Ladybugs are harmless and gardeners buy them by the bag full!
I believe what most people refer to as "lady bugs" red/black are the orange/black beetle and quite a nuisance when indoors. They put off an odor that people with allergies are sensitive to. They also make your vacuum sweeper bag emit odor when these beetles are sucked up.
At Family Dollar Stores, you can purchase four small cans of insect fogger in one box that you place under the house and will kill what has come out and lingers under the house keeping more from entering.
However, we've had them indoors really bad before using the fogger spray and I had a glass jar 3/4 filled with water and PineSol and scooped the pests into the jar using the lid and screwed it back on trapping the beetles inside and the PineSol kills them quickly. You can then empty into the toilet or pour outdoors and make another batch of PineSol solution. They migrate to sunlight by day and lamplight at night, so this will help you get those few that were not within the zone of the fogger spray.
Have your local energy supply company (electricity, gas) come and do an energy audit. When you are done correcting all the deficiencies they find, your house will be ladybug-proof. I remember that icky smell when I vacuumed them out of the windowsills, no regrets at all. There were certainly enough already outside for the needs of roses for several blocks around.
I use a cordless hand vac and go around and sweep the bugs up. Then I go outside and release them. On bad days I have had to do it three or four times but have discovered that I now have a lot fewer bugs inside. Each year there are fewer and fewer by using this method.
I live on the 12th floor and I have lady bugs in my apartment. How can I get them out of my apt.?
By Sandra
Sweep them up. How many could you have?
How many can there be??? Are you kidding? If like me there can be thousands. Maybe not that quite that many but I have collected over 250 during the Month of December. Yes I have a really bad infestation, and it get worse each year. I really don't mind them all that much as they don't do much other then crawl around, but they are amazing at much they multiply. The best way I have found to get rid of them is to use a shop vac or any other powerful vacuum. It is really much more effective if it has one of the narrowing nozzles so that the suction is increased. These little guys can really hang on and when you attempt to suck them up they flatten themselves to the surface and are really hard to dislodge.
Who has problems with Asian beetles/ladybugs? They are annoying. How do you handle the problem? Thanks for your help.
By Trudy
I don't have a way to keep those bugs from getting in but one year my house was getting infested with them. I had to vacuum the floor, walls, ceilings, window panes, the openings in the ceilings fans, etc., etc., make sure when you empty out your vacuum cleaner you do it outside as they usually are not dead and can fly back onto everything-including your clothes.
Good luck.
I have a huge infestation of them. They are awful. I have woken up with small bites. Those little buggers bite. They're an orangish red, I honestly have been flicking them off anything they climb on. I feel them crawling on me even when I'm at work lol my boyfriend thinks I am going crazy. I can't stand them, they're not pretty I think they're useless.
My husband saw a commercial for Natural cures that said that Lavender oil with vinegar can be used to rid the home of Lady bugs (beetles) and now the ever present Box Elder beetles. Did he hear right and if so what is the recipe?
hi i have the ladybugs also. i have sprayed my windows on the outside with soapy water, like dish water. yes i do think that helped but then it rained and i did not do it again. i am planning on sealing up all of my screens. then i am washing the entire window area including the blindes. i hope that stops them.
did the lavender oil and vinegar for the box elder bugs work? what is the recipe?
I recently moved in to a new two story house. It's not that old, and it has white sidings. Inside the house the walls are a light colored. When I moved in all but 4 windows had this plastic shrink wrap on to help keep the heat in.
I have noticed more and more lady bugs everyday. I have tried vacuuming them and other things, but nothing works. I live in northwest Ohio. Ladybugs are common, but I have never seen them this bad.
By Natalie
Ladybugs are completely harmless to humans and most animals. Actually, ladybugs are very beneficial to humans as they love to eat aphids, indoor and outdoor plant destroyers. They hibernate in the winter and are attracted to the light and warmth for a winter home. They sometimes choose your house for their winter stay because your house is often a light color and, of course, warm in winter.
You can remove the ladybugs without harm simply by carefully placing them in a paper bag and leaving the open bag outside. Unfortunately, once they have chosen a particular winter home, they often return to that same winter home in following years so you may meet their decendants next year, and the following years.
I live in the northeast and I am curious to know if anyone else is having a problem with ladybugs. For the past five years I have been inundated with them in the fall season. Now I am noticing them in the start of the spring season. In the fall they are all over my screens, siding on house, windows, and they get into the house and crawl over textured ceiling. Someone told me they liked the color yellow which is the color of my house. They don't bother my neighbors on either side of me.
Does anyone know why this is happening and how I can control them? I know that generally speaking ladybugs are great for eating other insects, but this is ridiculous. They are all over the inside of my house. Help!
Please be happy that you have the ladybugs and not a more worrisome type bothering you. In my state several years ago they released ladybugs to help control the insect population. They did such a good job of that! It became so bad they released an alien looking bug called stink bugs. They are the worst! They get into everything and cling to whatever it is. You can't shake them off. They sneak into your home and buzz by your head. You can't smash them or you have an awful smell. I pick them up with a piece of tissue and flush them. Last year we had a yard sale and they were into every item and in all the boxes. They get into the pockets of clothing, into socks, into purses, and everything. I'll take the ladybugs any day.
I live in the city of Rochester. I need to know the most humane way to get rid of these pesky ladybugs that are invading my apartment. I have told my landlord, but they won't do anything about it. Help me!
By Sara
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I am having a major issue with lady beetles in my very old house. These bugs were released to battle another pest and now they have become a pest! Lady beetles look like ladybugs but are a dark orange.
How do I get rid of ladybugs? Our house gets invaded with zillions of them when the weather is hot, inside and outside of our home.
We just moved in our new house in August. And it is nearly the end of October and our house has been taken over by a form of ladybugs. I am going crazy, from the time I wake up til the time I go to bed I am constantly dragging the vacuum up and down the stairs.
Does anyone know what can be used to get rid of Ladybugs? I am especially interested in something that does not involve chemicals since we have a 2 year old in the house.
How can I get rid of lady bugs in my house?
