Sure, they are pretty, but do you want thousands of them in your home? (Photo: iStockphoto)
With their vibrant red wings and black spots, ladybugs aren’t often thought of as pests in the traditional sense of the word. Children and others who’d usually run screaming from any type of beetle or bug are apt to like them, and farmers and gardeners welcome ladybugs because they are known to goggle up lots of crop-destroying pests.
But this year, there are reports across the U.S. of Asian lady beetles swarming by the hundreds upon houses and even in homes, creating quite a mess. As the weather gets colder, the beetles can get into a home through any unsealed area, and once inside, can leave behind stains and stinky smells if squashed.
I noticed a modest infestation of ladybugs in my home just a few years ago. Now, I am not the best at keeping my home tidy, so when spring came and it was time to start opening the windows, I found a few dead ladybugs here and there on our windowsills. I was surprised to find the ladybugs because I had never before seen more than one ladybug at any one time. Coincidentally, I found a deceased ladybug just inside my front door just today. Could it be a harbinger of more to come?
In a recent story on the beetles, the Associated Press reported that one pest-control specialist based in St. Louis, Mo., found thousands of the brightly colored beetles both inside and outside his home in the past few weeks. In the winter, the story notes, the beetles seek out either sunny exposures on light-colored buildings to warm up, or find their way inside nicely heated homes. To get rid of the critters, simply vacuum them up and dump them outside. (You wouldn’t want to dump them in the trash inside, since they give off a smelly defensive chemical.)
Like any other bug, it seems, ladybugs are attracted to light, so you are likely to see them hovering around your light fixtures. The ladybugs have been known occassionally to bite, and some people report allergic reactions to the bites, says the PoconoRecord.com. The best defense against these unwelcome guests is to seal cracks around windows and doors with caulk or tape so they can't get in, the website says.—Lauren Baier Kim