My house is full of ladybugs. What should I do?

Question

Shouldn't they be hibernating? I guess with the warm weather we've been having, they must be active. What are they eating? All the other insects are dead.

Would they survive if I kept them in the freezer until spring?

Answer 1

Biology
During the spring and summer, these lady beetles feed on aphids in field crops, gardens, meadows and trees. Multicolored Asian lady beetles are effective predators of aphids and some scale insects and are extremely beneficial for both agricultural and horticultural crops.

As temperatures start to cool in the fall , the adult lady beetles begin their search for protected places in which they can pass the winter. The beetles use visual or physical cues to find suitable overwintering sites. These locations tend to be the sunnier or warmer sides of buildings, or on exposed, light-colored buildings. Of course, this doesn't mean that people with dark-colored siding, brick or log homes are immune to the lady beetle assault. Recent research suggests that, once the beetles arrive at the site, they use chemical cues to locate the specific crevice they want to inhabit within the structure. The sources of these chemical cues have not been clearly identified, but may be beetle feces from the previous winter, the odor of beetles that died at the site, or an attractant pheromone. These factors may help to explain why beetles seem to pick the same sites (not necessarily every year, but perhaps more frequently than they pick nearby areas).

From the exterior of the house, they may move indoors by crawling under defective weather stripping or by crawling and flying in open doors on warm days. The beetles can fit through very small gaps or cracks in siding, masonry, around window and door casings, and even through attic and soffit vents. The beetles hibernate as adults, usually in wall voids (they cannot survive long in the heated rooms of a house). On warm days, they may become active and move towards light or bright surfaces. The beetles are often found on windows, light fixtures and ceilings. The multicolored Asian lady beetle does not reproduce indoors. In spring, they will move outdoors in search of prey.

Fortunately, multicolored Asian lady beetles are primarily a nuisance only. If squashed, however, the beetles may stain fabric and painted surfaces. They do not eat wood or furniture. Some people have reported receiving a mild "nip" by beetles that have landed on them. There have been concerns that large numbers of beetles may possibly cause air quality problems indoors that could trigger allergies and/or asthmatic reactions.


Vacuuming. If you decide to vacuum up the beetles, empty the vacuum bag relatively soon afterwards. Dr. Susan Jones at Ohio State University has found an easier way to collect vacuumed beetles by inserting a woman's knee-high stocking into the vacuum's extension hose and then securing it with a rubber band before putting the attachment back on. This allows you to trap the beetles inside the stocking, which then conveniently closes up at the end with the rubber band when you remove it. You can also simply tie a knot in the end of the stocking. You can transfer the beetles to a container and keep them in a refrigerator over the winter (many will die there) or place them outdoors under a porch or in some other protected area and then release them into gardens next spring. An alternative is to toss your beetle-filled stocking into the garbage or dump the beetles into a container, freeze them, and then discard them.

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Answer 2

Ladybugs In House

Answer 3

1

Answer 4

2

Answer 5

I had the same problem when i just moved into my house. But now they are all gone.
I basically pick up the ladybug put them in the sink and set the water tap on. So i drowned them. They where all gone within a week. And i had more than a 100 of those bugs.
And i'm not so sure they are really ladybugs. Because these things ate wood, but they just looked alot like lady bug. Maybe you have the same bugs.

Answer 6

At some point large numbers of asian lady bugs were being sold as a deterrent for aphids - which was wonderful, they ate the aphids. The down side was that they had no natural predator & they did not addapt well to the cold here in the north. So while it may be mild for us - it's chilly for they. They started to invade peoples homes. The easiest way to be rid of them that I have heard about is to vaccuum them up - which is easiest done w/ a vac that has a hose.They squeeze through cracks to get in to hibernate. There's nothing much you can do about them getting in. I will see one near the sink once in a while, probably to drink some water. Ladybugs eat other bugs, so if there are any bugs i your house of any kind...that's what they are eating. To remove them, you'll have to capture them and put them some where else or vacuum them.

Answer 7

At some point large numbers of asian lady bugs were being sold as a deterrent for aphids - which was wonderful, they ate the aphids. The down side was that they had no natural predator & they did not addapt well to the cold here in the north. So while it may be mild for us - it's chilly for they. They started to invade peoples homes. The easiest way to be rid of them that I have heard about is to vaccuum them up - which is easiest done w/ a vac that has a hose.They squeeze through cracks to get in to hibernate. There's nothing much you can do about them getting in. I will see one near the sink once in a while, probably to drink some water. Ladybugs eat other bugs, so if there are any bugs i your house of any kind...that's what they are eating. To remove them, you'll have to capture them and put them some where else or vacuum them.

Answer 8

They usually hibernate in caves or other areas in the woods, but may choose your house (especially if you have vaulted ceilings) instead. We used to live on the edge of the woods, and they would swarm the house, and clump together on the ceilings and inside the recessed light fixtures. The only thing you can do is vacuum them up, and try to find their sources of entry. If you smash them, they will smell. These ladybugs also will bite if provoked.They squeeze through cracks to get in to hibernate. There's nothing much you can do about them getting in. I will see one near the sink once in a while, probably to drink some water. Ladybugs eat other bugs, so if there are any bugs i your house of any kind...that's what they are eating. To remove them, you'll have to capture them and put them some where else or vacuum them.

Answer 9

We used to live on the edge of the woods, and they would swarm the house, and clump together on the ceilings and inside the recessed light fixtures. The only thing you can do is vacuum them up, and try to find their sources of entry. If you smash them, they will smell. These ladybugs also will bite if provoked.They squeeze through cracks to get in to hibernate. There's nothing much you can do about them getting in. I will see one near the sink once in a while, probably to drink some water. Ladybugs eat other bugs, so if there are any bugs i your house of any kind...that's what they are eating. To remove them, you'll have to capture them and put them some where else or vacuum them.

Answer 10

It's not clear whether you want to EXTERMINATE them or KEEP THEM ALIVE.

If you want to kill them, just let them starve. Don't worry about them in the meantime, because ladybugs do eat other bugs-- including ones that you might not notice-- and aren't harmful at all. Many people even think they're beautiful and lucky!

If you want to keep them alive and healthy, there are a few options. Freezing them is not one of them. If ladybugs hibernate, they have a process that is significantly different from suddenly entering freezing temperatures. Your best bet for getting them to hibernate is to place them outdoors, and hope they do what comes naturally... leave a window open just in case, so they can come back to your warm house if hibernation doesn't work out.

Another thing you can do, which has a better chance of keeping them alive, is to feed them. You can buy ladybug food ( http://www.planetnatural.com/site/ladybug-lacewing-food.html ) and either leave it in little dishes around the house, or round up all the ladybugs and put them in a big terrarium. I would suggest letting them run free in the house when it comes to the health and happiness of your ladybugs, but I would suggest keeping them in a container when it comes to population control. As nice as these lovely little insects are, having their children and grandchildren in every crack of your house come spring is too much of a good thing.

Answer 11

Biology
During the spring and summer, these lady beetles feed on aphids in field crops, gardens, meadows and trees. Multicolored Asian lady beetles are effective predators of aphids and some scale insects and are extremely beneficial for both agricultural and horticultural crops.

As temperatures start to cool in the fall , the adult lady beetles begin their search for protected places in which they can pass the winter. The beetles use visual or physical cues to find suitable overwintering sites. These locations tend to be the sunnier or warmer sides of buildings, or on exposed, light-colored buildings. Of course, this doesn't mean that people with dark-colored siding, brick or log homes are immune to the lady beetle assault. Recent research suggests that, once the beetles arrive at the site, they use chemical cues to locate the specific crevice they want to inhabit within the structure. The sources of these chemical cues have not been clearly identified, but may be beetle feces from the previous winter, the odor of beetles that died at the site, or an attractant pheromone. These factors may help to explain why beetles seem to pick the same sites (not necessarily every year, but perhaps more frequently than they pick nearby areas).

From the exterior of the house, they may move indoors by crawling under defective weather stripping or by crawling and flying in open doors on warm days. The beetles can fit through very small gaps or cracks in siding, masonry, around window and door casings, and even through attic and soffit vents. The beetles hibernate as adults, usually in wall voids (they cannot survive long in the heated rooms of a house). On warm days, they may become active and move towards light or bright surfaces. The beetles are often found on windows, light fixtures and ceilings. The multicolored Asian lady beetle does not reproduce indoors. In spring, they will move outdoors in search of prey.

Fortunately, multicolored Asian lady beetles are primarily a nuisance only. If squashed, however, the beetles may stain fabric and painted surfaces. They do not eat wood or furniture. Some people have reported receiving a mild "nip" by beetles that have landed on them. There have been concerns that large numbers of beetles may possibly cause air quality problems indoors that could trigger allergies and/or asthmatic reactions.


Vacuuming. If you decide to vacuum up the beetles, empty the vacuum bag relatively soon afterwards. Dr. Susan Jones at Ohio State University has found an easier way to collect vacuumed beetles by inserting a woman's knee-high stocking into the vacuum's extension hose and then securing it with a rubber band before putting the attachment back on. This allows you to trap the beetles inside the stocking, which then conveniently closes up at the end with the rubber band when you remove it. You can also simply tie a knot in the end of the stocking. You can transfer the beetles to a container and keep them in a refrigerator over the winter (many will die there) or place them outdoors under a porch or in some other protected area and then release them into gardens next spring. An alternative is to toss your beetle-filled stocking into the garbage or dump the beetles into a container, freeze them, and then discard them