How do you get rid of lady bugs?

Question

I have lady bugs invading my house. They are on the ceiling around the air ducts. How can I get rid of them safety? I have kids and pets so I don't want to use any harsh chemicles.

Answer 1

We use to vacuum them up, squish them (but they release something even when touched, and smell so horrid!).. we were so over-run by them.
Our new home thankfully doesn't have those ladybug/beetles.. we have box elder bugs, and pine beetles. These by far smell worse, and are definitely not something that one can get rid of.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

We had a horrible problem with lady bugs when I was a teenager. Later an exterminator (there for a yellow jacket problem) said that they were actually some type of hybrid Japanese Beetle that looked like a lady bug.

We had these funny shaped bags that hung from a shepherd's hook type hanger. It somehow attracted and trapped them. Spectracide makes one called Bag-a-Bug that is for Japanese Beetles, but it also works for lady bugs as well. You can find them at any hardware store, home improvement store, and even Wal-mart and stores like that!

Answer 4

If you are referring to the little orange beetles that resemble the lady bug, they ARE NOT LADY BUGS!!! The Lady bug gets such a bad rap for those little pests!! Lady bugs are a bright red, the bugs you are referring to are orange! As far as how to get rid of them, call an exterminator and request non harmful products. Most places will have kid/pet friendly ways to help you. Good Luck

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How do you get rid of lady bugs?
I have lady bugs invading my house. They are on the ceiling around the air ducts. How can I get rid of them safety? I have kids and pets so I don't want to use any harsh chemicles.

Answer 6

With every day pass, our country is getting into more and more trouble. The inflation, unemployment and falling value of dollar are the main concern for our Government but authorities are just sleeping, they don’t want to face the fact. Media is also involve in it, they are force to stop showing the real economic situation to the people. I start getting more concern about my future as well as my family after watching the response of our Government for the people that affected by hurricane Katrina.

According to recent studies made by World Bank, the coming crisis will be far worse than initially predicted. So if you're already preparing for the crisis (or haven't started yet) make sure you watch this video at http://www.familysurvival.tv and discover the 4 BIG issues you'll have to deal with when the crisis hits, and how to solve them fast (before the disaster strikes your town!) without spending $1,000s on overrated items and useless survival books.

Answer 7

Lady beetles are beneficial insects and should be preserved, if possible. Locating entry points and sealing up cracks and crevices will help reduce their numbers indoors. Window screens and doors should be tight-fitting. Concentrate initial efforts on the south and west sides of infested structures. Each day, vacuum and dispose the beetles well away from the building, as these insects are strong fliers and will readily return. A wet-dry vacuum works quite well for this. If entry points are still available, there may seem to be little reduction as new beetles enter. Vacuuming the clusters from walls during fall may also offer some relief.

Insecticides are not recommended as lady beetle carcasses will remain in wall voids where other insects, such as carpet beetles, will eat them. Upon depletion of this food source, the carpet beetles move readily into the home and feed on carpets, clothes, linens, stored food products, and many other items. Carpet beetles are extremely difficult to eliminate from a building.

Lady beetles eventually move outside to locate their natural prey in late spring. They do not feed on structural wood or stored food products. They do produce an offensive odor for repelling predators, but it does not affect humans.

Answer 8

Vinegar is great! I use it all the time for many purposes. Just do a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water and spray where the infestation is. Some others is Mint Oil, lemon scented candles, sealing areas in which they can enter your home, and a humidifier could also work with Vicks Menthol.

Answer 9

why would you want to get rid of lady bugs? They're so cute! Well, if you really think you should, I found this thing, it may help you prevent even more from getting in and you could try to prevent and kill the current ones:

November 29, 1999

Few Solutions for Dealing with
Invasions of Ladybugs

BLACKSBURG -- Fall is the season when Asian lady beetles invade homes throughout Virginia, sometimes with homeowners battling thousands of the creatures that are seeking shelter from colder weather.

"These insects can be a real problem for homeowners," said Dini Miller, urban pest management specialist for Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia Tech. "Most people have mixed feelings about them. On the one hand, we have been told all our lives that ladybugs are 'good' because they eat those bugs that chew up Grandma's roses. On the other hand, you don't want thousands of them in your home."

The ladybugs, even in huge numbers, are not so much dangerous as they are annoying, Miller said. They leave stains and congregations of the insects can be unnerving. And they leave a mess when they die.

The potential for danger is when they die in huge numbers, which eventually happens because of the dryness in most homes in the wintertime. Unless homeowners vacuum up the bodies, phorid flies can breed on the carcasses.

"Phorid flies can be a real problem," Miller said. "They're very tiny and very annoying, like fruit flies, only worse. They've been known to carry diseases."

Finding a good way of getting rid of an infestation of ladybugs is as elusive for experts as it is for homeowners. Spraying pesticides may kill a number of ladybugs, but it is unlikely to end the infestation, she said. Perimeter spraying -- applying pesticides at the points the insects enter the house -- is difficult because there are so many possible entry points and the pesticide is effective only for a matter of days.

"The recommendations for dealing with these invasions are that pesticides not be sprayed in homes and that the dead bodies be vacuumed up as quickly as possible," she said. "We also recommend that homeowners do a heat check to see where heat is escaping from their homes. Those are the points where the beetles come in."

No area of the state is immune to ladybug invasions; in fact, the problem is nationwide. Because the beetles are forest creatures, homes in heavily wooded areas are far more likely to experience an invasion than homes in a town.

The Asian lady beetle is not a native species. It was introduced into the U.S. between 1916 and 1965 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which wanted to establish colonies of the beetle to combat aphids that feed on certain trees.

"It is an excellent biological control for the aphids," Miller said. "But it has no natural enemies here."

The beetles can remain a problem for homeowners through the winter, departing for a while during warm periods, but returning during cold snaps. Miller said infestations begin arriving in mid-October and can remain in the structure until the end of March or later.

Answer 10

2