Asian lady beetles?

Question

They look like ladybugs and every year around this time they swarm around and get in my house. Last year we had them for nearly 8 months. Can't figure out how they're getting in. Anyone know of any traps or effective ways to get rid of them in your house?

Answer 1

They usually fly to the warmest sides of the house as the temperatures get colder. If they can find little cracks or holes in the outer wall they will move in for the winter. Usually they stay between the inner and outer wall of the house but on a sunny winter day, the sun will get them active. They won't go back outside because it's winter but if they can find another opening through the home's inner wall, then you'll notice them crawling around.

The "problem will never end" solution is to vacuum them when you see them in the winter. A "one year" solution is to spray the south and west sides of your house with malathion and kill them when they land and try to find an entry. You would want to spray a test area to see if the chemical discolors your siding. The "permanent" solution is to get a couple of tubes of caulk and a caulk gun and (this year before it gets cold) go over the west and south sides of the house and caulk every little crack or hole you can see. If they can't get between the outer and inner wall in the first place, then they can't get in your house. It's unrealistic to think you can find every crack they could crawl through but you could patch up most of them. If they can't get into your walls, they'll go next door.

Also, they seem to be attracted to lighter colored houses so the next time you paint or put on siding you can take that into consideration when choosing a color.

Answer 2

MY FRIEND FOUND WAS TO VACUM THEM UP WITH A VACUM SHE GOT JUST FOR THE BEETLES BECAUSE THEY SMELL UP THE VACUM. GOOD LUCK. THEY DO SEEM TO REALLY COME OUT ON THESE NICE WARM SUNNY FALL DAYS.