Cool Weather Brings on Lady Bugs

First, an update on what's new about the lady beetles - absolutely nothing.

The beetles do not lay eggs in the walls and they are not reproducing indoors which is what some people claim causes the large numbers of beetles seen. Most of those stories
come from people who think that the lady beetles hatching from eggs look just like the ones you see. Lady beetle larvae (immatures) bear no resemblance to the adults and these larvae form pupa which subsequently transforms into the adult (not to be confused with the Transformers in the movie).

We still don't have the magic bullet insecticide that will be durable enough
to keep lady beetles from finding some entry points. Even if we had a
chemical that might work, there's still the issue of covering all critical areas
on the house. Seriously, the last thing we need are people blasting away
at their house with their garden hose sprayer and raining chemical down
on themselves, their deck, kids and pets.

People googling for lady beetles (not the same as bobbing for apples) will
see reports of studies showing camphor or other chemicals repelling lady
beetles. Yup... these chemicals will repel them in laboratory studies.
So, if you live in a laboratory, you can manage the beetles. Let's
think practical for a second - even if the camphor did repel the beetles:
a) Where do you place it? in every wall voids, b) How would you apply it?

The question has come up about lady beetles biting. There have been
reports that the beetles periodically 'nip' when landing on someone. This
is different from the people on airline flights who have several nips *before*
landing. We don't have any practical advice on avoiding/preventing these
"casual encounters" (maybe, bite back??)

We still recommend the tried-and-true method of vacuuming up wayward
beetles indoors, although this recommendation rarely appeases those irate
callers who then make rude, socially unacceptable and physically impossible
suggestions as to what you can do with vacuum cleaner bags full of beetles.
One potential problem with vacuuming up the beetles is the odor from the
accumulating dead and/or squished beetles inside the vacuum cleaner bags,
particularly if the bags are not changed frequently. This can actually be an
issue for people who do become sensitized to the beetles and might develop
allergic reactions. You can suggest that they insert a knee-high stocking into
the vacuum's extension hose and then secured 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 then have a few options. Some people have tried keeping
the beetles in the refrigerator over the winter and then release them into
their gardens in the following spring. Unfortunately, many (likely most) of
the beetles will not survive this long winter's nap in your refrigerator.
The other choice is to freeze them and just discard them. Many people
are not inclined to put insects in their freezers but they simply toss the
beetles back outdoors, some many very simply find their way back in.

Of course, we also give the usual suggestion of getting a bucket of caulk
and sealing every possible opening through which the beetles can enter.
In many cases, this will often generate the same suggestion to you that was
made about the vacuum cleaner bag full of beetles.

The bottom line is that the beetle invasion can be minor and "An Inconvenient
Truth", but at times the numbers can reach thousands and can become
more than a simple irritation to your nerves to a real irritation to your
respiratory system and serve as an asthma trigger. So, while we make
jokes about this situation, it can become a real issue for which we simply
have no good solutions.


Our information about lady beetles can be found at:

http://insects.ncsu.edu/harmonia.htm

Information from Michael Waldvogel, Extension Associate Professor and Extension Specialist