Invasion of the Lady Bugs!

[Scott Patterson]

I was treated to this nice little crunchy surprise at today's inspection!

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[Ron Bibler]

Open the window...

Best

Ron

[Brad Borden]

We see that allot in S.C.. I have a pest control company and they usually start when the termites start swarming. We find that no matter the amount of product we treat with they come in so fast the chemical does not have time to work. Usually they leave in a week or so. You probably found them between the insulation and sub floor in the crawlspace and in the attic as well.
A good treatment in the crawlspace, attic, and a yard treatment will help but will not eliminate them.

[Rick Hurst]

I always encouraged people not to kill the ladybugs as they can be a beneficial insect. They eat aphids and other pests which damage many ornamental plants.

Every bug is not to be squashed.

[Brad Borden]

I agree ,but do you want your 2 year old picking bugs out of their teeth. That infestation is a bit intense.

[Rick Hurst]

Keep the 2yr.old fed properly and he'll probably not have the appetite for them.

I had a nephew that had a appetite for those pillbugs when he was a kid. He was just brought up wrong.

rick

[Brad Borden]

They will start crawling in after the lady bugs so he can have a insect salad bar.

[Vern Heiler]

I always encouraged people not to kill the ladybugs as they can be a beneficial insect. They eat aphids and other pests which damage many ornamental plants.

Every bug is not to be squashed.

Rick, I thought the same thing and was telling the man at our local nursary about a house infested with ladybugs. There are evidently different species and the yellowish green one does not eat aphids. Just another BUG!

[Scott Patterson]

I always encouraged people not to kill the ladybugs as they can be a beneficial insect. They eat aphids and other pests which damage many ornamental plants.

Every bug is not to be squashed.

I agree, they are great in the garden.... But, nothing is really blooming yet. Heck, we had snow and sleet yesterday!

Now, next week they say we will be in the 70's!

[Rick Hurst]

Vern,

I've never seen any but the orange / black speckled type.

Sure the cold as Scott mentioned is what drove them in like that.

We have an insect called a boxelder that comes in droves like that in the early spring. They cover some homes they are so plenty. The problem is they are always mating, so you'll see locked up arse to arse everywhere.

Kids are just frightened to death for a few days wondering what the fudge is going on.

rick

[Vern Heiler]

Rick, we have the orange spotted ladybugs as well. The ones I have seen infest homes look just like them, only are a pale green or yellow. I've never seen a boxelder bug, thought that was a tree?

[Rick Hurst]

Here's a picture showing them.

[Raymond Wand]

The Asian species of Lady Bug which was imported into Canada also bites!

FACT SHEET: The Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle
http://www.brocku.ca/ccovi/news/MALB_QA_2004_update.pdf

[Ken Bates]

On occasion I find a few dozen barely alive on window stools and sills in the Spring after having gone dormant during winter. Usually in vacant houses or in attic windows. About 30% don't make it thru the winter.

I purchased a bag of 10,000 beetles to release in my urban garden. They were all the common species and crowded out the beautiful rare varieties.

They are smart enough to come in from the cold and hungry and motivated enough to escape the house.

[Scott Patterson]

Vern,

I've never seen any but the orange / black speckled type.

Sure the cold as Scott mentioned is what drove them in like that.

We have an insect called a boxelder that comes in droves like that in the early spring. They cover some homes they are so plenty. The problem is they are always mating, so you'll see locked up arse to arse everywhere.

Kids are just frightened to death for a few days wondering what the fudge is going on.

rick

Boxelder? We always called them Love Bugs! They are common throughout the Southern states during the summer months. They have so much acid in their body that noting eats them. If you don't get the splattered ones off your car/truck they will take the paint off.

As Rick said, you always see them flying United!

[Vern Heiler]

The Asian species of Lady Bug which was imported into Canada also bites!

FACT SHEET: The Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle
http://www.brocku.ca/ccovi/news/MALB_QA_2004_update.pdf

Raymond, just shows-to-goya, don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you read!

I don't know why the nursery guy thought the Asian species didn't eat aphids?

[Michael Larson]

Those appear to be Asian Beetles and not the common and beneficial lady bug.

The Asian beetle was brought to this country to control the soybean aphid but like many imported species it has become a pest.

They do bite and stink like crazy when disturbed. The smell and bad taste is their defense mechanism.

They are very difficult to control but some barrier sprays will help keep they out of the structure.

I fought these things for years when I had a hobbie farm. When I replaced the siding on the house I found millions of their dead carcasses behind the siding. They are strong enough to get through window weather stripping by compressing the seal.

We used to use a vaccuum cleaner and wand to rid the house of them in the Winter.

[Harry Settle]

If you ever want to recommend a product that will take care of these infestations, I believe boxelder bugs as well, "Bug Max", not "Ortho Max". This stuff feels like water, is a little milky in color, has no (none) odor. Spray it around sills, infestation holes, ventillation fan systems etc. . . it kills for a year. We had the Asian beetle infestation a couple of years ago and this was the only stuff that worked.