Tips to handle ladybugs that enter homes
Ijust recently passed my 25th anniversary as a county agent for UGA Extension. When you pass a milestone in a career, a person may go back into the memory bank about things that took place decades ago.
I started out as a 4-H agent and served in that capacity in Bartow County for almost 12 years. I remember each year in the fall, Mr. Ed Hornyak, the ANR agent, receiving call after call on home invasion of ladybugs. It got so bad that the ladies in the office hung a large paper ladybug over his door.
Many of my readers can share their own experiences of ladybugs entering the home by the hundreds or seemingly thousands once cold weather arrives. I will be sharing information from a short publication by Willie Chance, UGA Center for Urban Agriculture.
For starters, I will give you a little background on problems you may experience with ladybugs. There is some debate on how the issues with home entry of ladybugs started. Yes, we have native ladybugs that seem to not cause us issues in the home.
The Asian ladybugs were imported to the United States back in the 1970s. The goal of this importing of Asian ladybugs was to help control aphids that can damage certain crops like pecans. The use of Asian ladybugs was a way to reduce pesticide sprays. There has been debate that some of the issues came from ladybugs that came over on boats that docked in the United States. The imported Asian ladybugs again were brought in to help reduce damaging aphid issues.
Aphids can cause problems by sucking the sap out of plant leaves. Ladybugs like eating aphids, thus the importation. We do have the native ladybugs, but they just do not do a good job of controlling tree-feeding aphids per our information. The problem is that in Asia, the Asian ladybugs will overwinter on rock walls. Here in the United States, they will enter homes or buildings and then gather on walls and ceilings for example.
Keep in mind that ladybugs in the home are more of a nuisance. They do not bite, sting or want to eat food in your kitchen. Since native and Asian ladybugs
are both good insects you do not want to kill either. We like having ladybugs around, but do not want them causing issues in our homes.
Can ladybugs cause damage? One thing to keep in mind is that when stressed, ladybugs can secrete a yellow liquid that can stain carpet or walls, so how you deal with them is important. The suggested way to remove Asian ladybugs from the home is to use a hand-held vacuum. This way you can remove them from the house and then dump them away from the home. Some people may prefer to simply sweep them out of the house, but it is suggested in our information to be mindful to not stain anything due to the yellow secretion from the ladybugs.
One suggestion is to try to make your home ladybug proof to reduce the ladybugs entering the dwelling. This would be a good time of year to caulk and seal cracks and holes that would make entry spots for ladybugs. You can also use weather stripping around doors to cut down on ladybugs coming in too. Some people may not have a hand-held vacuum or do not want to sweep them out. If you choose to use a regular vacuum, you can still do so in a manner to release the ladybugs alive back in the environment. If you do use a regular vacuum, Chance states to put the toe-end of a pair of hose or knee-high stockings over the end of the vacuum hose. Hold it in place by putting a rubber band over the end of the vacuum hose and the stocking. Obviously, do not let the stocking get sucked up the vacuum hose. Note that after you vacuum up the ladybugs, the stocking may be full of ladybugs that you can then release back outside.
Finally, as we move into fall, I want to remind you of two resources available to you. First, we have an electronic agriculture-based newsletter that homeowners and farmers should find interesting. The newsletter is FREE. All you have to do is call and get on the emailing list. We also have our Gordon Extension/ Agriculture and Natural Resources Facebook page.