We have an infestation of the Asian ladybug beetle this year. It’s not quite as bad as last year but they are still covering the surface of the back porch and back of the house.
Asian lady beetles are not any real threat to humans and are mainly a nuisance. Unlike some household pests like cockroaches or fleas. They tend to come in doors looking for winter shelter and those appearing in late winter/early spring are the same individuals that entered the previous fall.
Lady beetles do not attack wood, food or clothing. But, I still don’t like finding them all over the house. We have a projection large screen TV and last year had to take it apart to get them off of the inside of the screen. They really are a pest, getting into things.
Although Asian lady beetles do not carry and transmittable disease recent studies suggest that infestations can cause allergies in some individuals, ranging from eye irritation to asthma.
As a child we used to love the ladybug and protected it because of the good things it can do for your garden but the Asian ladybug is not the same. My husband told me that they can bite. I didn’t believe it until I looked it up. You can find more information on the USDA Agricultural Research site
Getting rid of them is not an easy task. It is recommended for indoors to just vacuum them. Outdoors it is a little tougher though. These Ladybugs tend to like the south side of the structure where the afternoon light and sun hits because they tend to have more activity during this time. You can spend time caulking any little crevices or cracks around the windows and doors but it seems that they will get in somewhere. Or you can spray pesticides or even hire it done. But, personally I don’t care for that around my house.
There is a rather simpler more natural way to deal with the Asian Ladybug.
Put up a Ladybug house to attract them to instead of your house. No, really.
You can order one that is all ready to put up outside or you can make it.
They basically are the same thing as butterfly house and they can be quite decorative and very inexpensive.
You can even get the plans online and make it yourself to fit in with your garden decor. One site I found with great Ladybug house plans lays it out pretty good.
After you decide which one to get it will help the Ladybug to come to the house faster if you use the Ladybug bait or lure. LADY BUG LURE or kairomone attractant simulates the smell of aphids which is a delicacy to a Ladybug and can be purchased in most gardening shops or online.
This is a much more advised way to get rid of the pests or deter them from coming into your house as they will come back year after year. This way you do not have to worry about the dangers of pesticide build up around your house and you have a natural predator to help you take care of your plants.
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