Ladybugs, or Asian lady beetles (whichever you prefer), are a common sight in the area. They are pests, as well as beneficial insects. They are often seen crawling on the sides of cars, light fixtures and walls.
Ladybugs are easily identified. They are about a fourth of an inch long with a convex oval shape and have a pale yellow-orange to dark red-orange color. They also sport black spots on their backs. Though mostly similar, some can vary in size and shape outside of the United States.
Ladybugs are pests, but only by their presence. They do not feed on or damage anything in the home. Ladybugs do not carry diseases, sting or breed inside the home. They might annoy the humans whose home they decide to inhabit, but they are harmless.
The reason ladybugs might be more prone to settle in homes in Franklin County is because of our landscape. We have an abundance of trees in this area. Ladybugs tend to settle in homes in or near forested areas. Many of the neighborhoods and apartments here are surrounded by trees, which make the homes seem attractive to the ladybugs.
Ladybugs are actually helpful outdoors in gardens. They keep away other predator pests such as aphids, scale and spider mites and mealy bugs that attack other plants. Some ladybugs even eat plant mildew. A single ladybug can eat up to 75 aphids in one day.
According to www.ancestry.com, ladybugs are often harvested and sold to farmers to control the harmful insects. Once they fill up during the spring, summer and winter months, they cluster on the sides of buildings searching for a warm place to spend the winter.
Even though ladybugs are helpful and harmless, most people only care about how they can get rid of them. Prevention is the best method of control when it comes to ladybugs. Use a fast-acting pyrethroid spray such as D-Fense SC or Demon WP to help prevent Asian lady beetles, cluster flies, box elder bugs and similar pests from entering your home in the fall. For best results, spray the exterior walls from the ground up as high as you can go.
Ladybugs like the cracks and crevices of our dwellings, so caulking cracks in the exterior of your home, fixing broken window screens and door jams, and plugging cracks in the foundation of your home will help prevent them from infestation in the home.
Once ladybugs are established in the home, treatment options are limited, because where there is one there are bound to be more. Your best bet to get rid of ladybugs in the home is a vacuum cleaner. Simply suck them up and release them outdoors. Do not leave them inside the vacuum, or they will just crawl back out and re-infest your home.
Next time you see a ladybug, do not squash it. Think about how harmless and helpful they are to everyone. For more information about ladybugs and ladybug prevention, you can contact the Franklin County Extension Office at 256-332-8880.
