Asian Lady Beetles / Ladybugs

[Guest]

Is anyone else having an invasion of Asian Lady Beetles this fall? In what seems like just the last 24 hours our park here in the northeast has been inundated with them. I stopped to get my mail yesterday and our little on site post office was swarming with them. Today they were trying to establish a beachhead on the south side of my MH until I sprayed it down with insecticide. I had a problem with Box Elder Bugs at a previous dwelling, but I've never seen ladybugs in numbers like these before.

[Ketta]

Ladybugs hibernate in groups, and likely the fall swarms are looking for likely spots to sleep off the winter. They tend to like lighter colored homes and are attracted to warmth coming from them. They're basically harmless; they won't eat anything or damage anything.

The best way to keep them out is to find where they're coming in and close up/seal the area. It's likely they'll still find good areas to hibernate beneath mobile homes, but again they don't hurt anything and will emerge in the spring to do their work and reproduce.

Many people encourage and welcome them, as they're extremely beneficial against many harmful insects like aphids. I know some people are squeamish no matter the type of bug, but ladybugs are definitely one of our 'friends'. Just remember that if they do find their way inside your house, especiallyl in spring, they're just confused and following instinct toward warmth.

Here's a link to a helpful FAQ about them:

http://www.ladybuglady.com/infestation.htm

[Guest]

Well, if 30 of my friends decided to crash in my spare bedroom one day, I'd throw them all out too... To me a bug is a bug and I do not want them inside my home. I may tolerate the occasional spider or ladybug outside my mobile home, but when I come home and find them massing in the hundreds on my siding, it's time for eradication. Just from the sheer numbers, they are bound to get inside and when they do they become a nuisance.
These are not the traditional "ladybugs" that we all grew up with, either. While they look identical, they are actually Asian Lady Beetles. They were introduced into this country in the 70s to control crop pests and they have gotten out of hand. The traditional Ladybug would die off each winter. These pests not only try to hibernate in your house for the winter, but they have no natural enemies in this country. Therefore they will continue to be a growing problem, much like the killer bee or fire ant has become. All 3 of the local news stations here had lead stories on the infestation tonight and I don't recall seeing anyone who has them as being anything but annoyed and desperate to rid their homes of them. I'd just like to know if this is a local phenomenon or if others across the country are having similar experiences with these pests.

[Yanita]

Hey MobileWayne,

No infestations of any bugs as of yet in my area of the world...

Yanita

[Greg]

Wayne, We had a large population of them in the spring & early summer, but they seem to have gone south for the winter. Greg

[Guest]

Apparently this month in New England, we have had the exact combination of conditions needed for these pests to invade. Reports continue to come in from besieged homeowners across the entire region.
Anyone who still confuses these insects with the traditional "ladybug" from our childhood, or considers them benign and even friendly should read the following article:

http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef416.asp

[Sylvia]

You can spray your home with water sudsy with dish soap. I think it worked when we were invaded four years ago. The day the dish network guy came we had to literally brush him down before he could come in. We had so many that they lived with us for about a year and a half indoors before they finally were gone.

The outside wall was a different color because they were so thick you couldn't see the siding.

When they bite you it hurts very much btw!

[Guest]

Yes, I have heard that this newer species are more aggressive and will actually bite you. Even more reason to rid myself of them. I spent the day caulking and fitting screens on all my soffit vents that didn't have them. We've had 2 days of rain which has kept them from swarming, but the sun came out for less than an hour yesterday and they started to show up on my siding again. Temperatures are unseasonably warm with Monday's forecast in the high 70s. I'm just hoping the residual insecticide is effective and I can still recognize my house when I return from work. The first frost can't come soon enough.

[klm9707]

We have had them also. The #s of them seem to grow each fall. They come in around the smallest cracks! They usually find a way in between the window frames and the screens, also along the storm doors. There is no way of keeping them out so I have my vacuum standing bye. I suck them up then dump them outside at the end of the day. Sylvia is right, when they bite... it hurts! But has anyone noticed how badly they smell? They are horrible.

[Guest]

There seem to be more of them every year because there ARE more of them every year. These Asian imports don't die off each winter like the native species. In fact they can live up to 3 years, which means they will only get worse every year they are in this country. Can you imagine what it will be like in 10 or 20 years?! I doubt the US Agriculture Department realized the impact these pests would have when they intentionally released them in this country several decades ago. Now I hear they want to cross-breed native honeybees with Africanized ("killer") bees so they are more resistant to disease! This kind of tax-funded tampering with nature is beyond ridiculous.
As far as the smell, when you vacuum them up it stresses them and they release some of that yellowish staining blood of theirs as they would to deter a bird or other predator. Vacuum up a lot of them and you are just spreading the smell around with the exhaust from your vacuum. Releasing them after bagging them in the vacuum just guarantees they'll be more trying to bite you and get back into your house. I have absolutely no regrets in killing any of these foreign invaders that appear in or on my home. If you don't they leave a pheromone that attracts 2 or 3 times as many back to your home next season!

[mist1953]

I just read an article about these Asian Lady bugs. They said they will find any nook and cranny and make there way in. When they feel threatened they will emit there odor and leave a yellowy stain and bite. They also said they will attract other beetles that feed on there dead carcases and some times the smell can be over whelming. This past weekend I removed a number of them and I now have several yellowy brown stains on my white curtain that will not come out. I was given a name of insecticide from Farm Services that will take care of them and the spiders it called Tempo, you can buy from then.

[76artcraft]

Hi All,

First time I seen an Asian Beetle was fall of 2001 in very urban Minneapolis, MN.
There was about 5 of them hanging around my kitchen light- I just thought they were sick lady bugs or they needed more sun like a tomato or something.

Then I moved down to southern MN in 2003,...very close to Iowa!
I lived in an old farm house surrounded by corn fields.
There were tons of them! Every spring & fall...more so in the fall.
2005 was the worst I ever seen the whole sunny side of the house was covered! They'd get in the house all we could do was vacuum the suckers! They seem to like where it's warm(attracted to lights)... then when it's cold them seem to huddle together in corners- strange.
They can squeeze through the smallest gaps-sometimes it seems like they can even squeeze through cracks!

Every one I knew around southern MN kept calling them Japanese Beatles, till I finally seen bug killer for Asian Beatles.

The last 2 years they haven't been as bad. I live in a more urban area now still in southern MN, but still next to a couple of fields.
This year I just see one now and then in the house. Had a few fly out of the wall when I was re insulating this year. I think we've had less because the weather has been different the past 2 years.
They don't bite often, but they do bite and it hurts(only short time).
And I agree the smell is nasty and can't stand the yellow toxin stuff that stains.

The worst was when one landed on the rim of my pop and I unknowingly went to take a drink and that stuff got on my lip- tastes just as bad as it smells. Or the worst could be this past spring when I caught 2 on my ceiling doing something that should only be seen on Animal Planet!- They were goners really fast!
Luckily they are easy to find if they get in your house- to get rid of them.

This year we've got lots of box elder bugs. A few times this year I seen one on the ceiling and thought it was a big spider.
I know they're harmless but they remind me of what I think a roach would act like- just creeps me out.
Has anyone seen a real Ladybug lately or are they on the endangered species list or something?- I should check!

Tempo works great and is approved for use in schools and restaurants as far as I heard. My uncle uses Tempo II, but he still gets daddy long legs for some reason. I'd like to get some, but still would feel like I was messing with mother nature or something.
Although I used Mycodex after dog-sitting summer 06 to get rid of the fleas. Spray on the carpet and kills any bug that walks on it for 3-4 months and is safe for kids and pets after it dries. It kept the spiders we were getting in check and haven't really had a problem since(now we use moth balls too!).

Holy Cow Gotta get going especially after writing this column!
Lat'r
Sam

[Guest]

I don't know why you'd feel like you were "messing with mother nature" by eradicating them. They're only so bad because the US Agriculture Department decided to mess with mother nature in the first place by releasing this foreign species in our country. I have no doubt they are pushing out any of the remaining native species of ladybugs just by their sheer numbers.
I once had a big problem with Box Elder Bugs in a previous dwelling. They are from the same family of insects and usually if you have one, you will have the other around too. Even though they would fly aimlessly around the house and you'd find them perched on your shoulders at times, they didn't bother me as much as these Asian invaders do. And they didn't BITE! I even remember thinking they were pretty cool-looking (for a bug) with that jet black body and the bright red pin-stripping. And they didn't go for your soda all the time like these Asian beetles do, either. Thankfully, we have had our first snowfall of the season today so the bug crisis is over until next year.

[76artcraft]

Hey,

Sorry for taking so long to reply.
I don't mind getting rid of Asian beetles.

I was trying to say that maybe if I sprayed pesticide it would kill off a bunch of bugs, including spiders and could possibly disrupt the natural balance between them and in a few years I'd end up getting something more undesirable or perhaps a super bug that is resistant to bug juice(pesticide)!.........

But then who am I kidding, is there even a natural balance anymore??!

As far as the box elder bugs, I agree they are very harmless bugs I rather find them in my home than any other bug. I feel bad "getting rid of them". I guess the part that creeps me out is: if one was crawling on the floor and you put your foot in front of it , the box elder bugs will actually back up a little and then start heading a different direction...almost like they were like ,"Whoa what the h@#* was that!". It's just the way the back up, almost like they are trying to see what you are.
I don't know what it is about it, it just creeps me out a little.
Maybe it's just the thought that it seems as if they are displaying some kind of intelligence...
I don't know.
I always let my imagination get the better of me.

-Sam

[Guest]

Yeah, it's almost like they have a rudimentary intelligence and a personality or something, which is probably why I didn't mind them so much. This mobile home was absolutely crawling with bugs and spiders when I moved in after it was vacant for a few months. After a few applications of Ortho Home Defense it got a lot better, but I still have to vacuum the jalousie windows every few months because spiders always set up house between the screens & windows. I hardly ever see a spider or bug in the house anymore, probably because I keep up with the bi-annual spraying of the perimeter and belly. I just about drowned the place in insecticide when the Asian Beetles invaded and it repelled them really well. I had a much better time of it than my neighbors who didn't spray. It didn't seem to bother the spider population much in the long run. When they see me coming with the sprayer they run like hell now and hide behind the skirting rails until the coast is clear.