Yeah...I'm bored & hanging in the Lounge...lets talk Ladybugs

[Khephra]

I used to think they were cute little bugs, but they're fucking everywhere in our new house. You pick up a drink--ladybugs in the drink. You cook something--ladybugs in the food.

Is there any non-chemical way to get rid of ladybugs?

[Maddy McCall]

1. Why do you have so many ladybugs?

[lynx rufus]

4. what is going on in that picture

i cannot tell

[Maddy McCall]

9. Annie Mae Aquash and her husband

at Wounded Knee.

[neuvocat]

2. Set up a bar

and bring in some man bugs. The man bugs will try to hit on all the lady bugs. Then the ladybugs will try to ditch the scene. The man bugs will take off and try to follow them.

[Sting]

3. dang warm weather

is bringing in the "ladybugs." Actually, they're a cousin to the ladybug. These ones are some sort of asian beetles. I find the best way to get rid of them is to vacuum them up. If you squish them, they leave a colorful ooze all over the place.

[flamingyouth]

15. It's the warm/cold change this fall

The colder weather kills off all of the ladybugs' predators, but not the ladybugs. So they have the run of the place - that's what I understand. We had a lot of them this summer in Seattle.

[newyawker99]

16. Hi Sting!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[ornotna]

5. Gangster pimp bugs ?

:shrug:

[grannylib]

6. detergent kills them, but it makes a mess...

we are inundated with the damn things too. What worked for me was diluting some laundry detergent in some water and spraying the little bastards, but the detergent actually stained my screens and was a mess.
Now I just shop vac them up.

[TrogL]

7. chop down your roses

ladybugs eat aphids

[Ohio Dem]

8. They aren't ladybugs.

Someone already mentioned that, but it's an important distinction. Ladybugs are good things. These Asian Beetles aren't. I'm not sure how they were introduced into this country, but they aren't from here originally.

There are several poisons that kill them. There are also some poisons which are supposed to kill only them. Sweep them up with the vac, whether they are dead to not. As was already mentioned, don't squich them. They leave a mark, and they really stink.

There was a thread here a few weeks ago that talked more about them. I don't have a link, but your researching skills are well documented.

[rbnyc]

10. Well, they are good luck.

I know you could use some of that.

;-)

[DemoTex]

11. Kkeph, you in the mountains? NC mountains swarmed by L-Bs.

I'm here at the mountain house painting. The ladybugs are swarming. How do thet get in? Why do they flock to a fresh-painted wall? What a pain! I spend two weeks prepping dry-wall (cleaning, sanding, repairing, taping, and priming with Kilz), and as soon as I start putting up paint, damned little bugs screw up my paint job.

[Khephra]

14. Nope Indiana

We just moved near a lake and they're everywhere. I don't mind them except for the fact they keep on getting into our food and drinks right now.

[WilliamPitt]

12. What, you fixed your bruised wee wee?

:)

*ducking, fleeing, giggling*

[Khephra]

13. Wait until you get here

and I have MY posse at my back....

Like it never happened to you before. ;-)

[Plaid Adder]

17. OhioDem is right--they're Asian longhorn beetles, not ladybugs.

Ladybugs eat aphids and other pests and are good things to have in your garden. These other things are nothing but a menace, and they're everywhere.

I haven't found any way of getting rid of them, apart from just hoovering them up, as OhioDem suggested. I used to go around whacking them whenever I got the chance, just for catharsis, but then I figured out the stains were hard to get off the walls.

The good thing about them is that they're slow-moving, so usually you can swat them away from wahtever they're crawling on, pick them up and drop them in the trash.

Good luck,

The Plaid Adder

[WillParkinson]

20. Hold on there!

That is not QUITE correct! The Asian Beetle (the one that looks similar to a ladybug) and the Asian Longhorn Beetle are 2 different things!

THIS is the Asian Longhorn Beetle


THIS is the Asian Lady Beetle


The Asian Beetle DOES eat aphids.

"They were imported in the late 70's to battle aphids on the pecan trees in the south. With no native predator, they have spread, further north and west. They tend to be attracted mostly to light colored buildings. They are seeking a warm place to overwinter. There have been no reports on them hurting any of our native species, except the native lady bug. But, that just goes to show you, you are always taking a risk when importing non-native species to a foreign land, both plant and animal."

Yes, there are many of them but SOMEONE imported them into the US so it's not like they had a lot of choice to be here.

[AlienGirl]

21. Asian Multicolored Beetles

They don't even harm the native ladybug; native ladybugs prefer to find aphids on small plants, while Asian multicolored beetles' natural hunting-ground is trees. They don't compete for food with native ladybugs.

Actually, I find the Asian beetles very amusing: they like sugar! If you put a drop of coffee in front of them they'll drink it--sometimes I call them "coffee bugs." They really like it if you set a marshmallow out for them to eat (and it might keep them out of your food).

Tucker

[DancingBear]

18. A supposed non-toxic chemical called Cybermethrin

works very well at getting rid of the Asian variety. When I spray it , however, I do wear a respirator. I order it off the web from a company in Georgia, and it states it is safe for indoor use. I have not (nor will I) try it in indoor living spaces, but it works well outdoors. Supposedly, the chemical is repulsive to ladybugs - hence they won't "walk" on areas where it has been sprayed. However, after I use it I must confess to seeing one hell of a lot of dead bugs.

NOTE: If you have an attic space, be sure to check up there! Ladybugs are coming in to get out of the cold (literally) and they will MASS in places like rim joists (the floor joists that are closest to an outside wall), under insulation, near heat ducts (if you have ductwork in the attic), etc.

[LynneSin]

19. We have ladybugs in our home in the mountains

I did some research - it's a pain to get rid of the Ladybugsonce they are in your home. It seems when they get inside a home then send out a phermone to attract other ladybugs into your home that reaches as far as 5 miles away. They must have found a crack in the home that allows them to get in and the home is probably scented now to attract more ladybugs

http://www.extension.umn.edu/extensionnews/2000/AnnoyingButHarmlessLadybugs.html