Most complaints of ladybug infestations are caused by the Asian lady beetle, which was introduced into many regions of the U.S. as a natural control for soft-bodied, crop-destroying insects. These beetles would normally hibernate for the winter inside of caves and rocky crevices. However, in developed areas they have the pesky tendency to overwinter inside our homes!
Some fast facts about lady beetles
- They aren’t known to carry disease, and reports of bites are rare.
- They don’t damage structures, and they don’t usually lay eggs indoors.
- Ladybugs love to dine on aphids, which makes them very beneficial in the garden.
- They seem drawn to homes with natural wood siding, homes in wooded areas, light-colored homes warmed by sunlight, and older homes with lots of cracks and crevices.
- Ladybugs leave behind trails of pheromones, which attract them to the same sites year after year.
Most homeowners don’t mind a ladybug or two – they’re pretty, and also pretty harmless. For those with significant beetle populations, the battle against ladybug infestation is a yearly chore that doesn’t have a satisfying solution.
Because they are so beneficial in the garden, it is generally not recommended to kill them in large numbers, yet the indoor infestations can be pretty overwhelming.
Prevention is the best strategy, along with regular removal of current invaders.
Tips for dealing with a ladybug infestation
- Once ladybugs are in, it’s hard to get them out. Vacuum them up regularly, and either dispose of them or release them back outside. Unlike other household pests, ladybugs come indoors to hibernate, not to multiply and invade. For this reason, many homeowners simply increase their vacuuming during ladybug season and otherwise don’t worry about them.
- Place a knee-high stocking inside the tip of your vacuum-cleaner wand, and secure it to the rim with tape or rubber bands. As you vacuum, the ladybugs will be caught in the stocking. Don’t leave them in your vacuum-cleaner bag; they’ll crawl right back out!
- Try a Lady Bug Light Trap to attract and capture large numbers of ladybugs for release outdoors.
- Seal all cracks and openings around doors, windows, outlets, eaves, pipes, and any place an insect might enter. Don’t underestimate their ability to squeeze in! Use foaming sealants to close up drafty crevices, and apply weather stripping to older doors. This will lower your heating bill, too.
- Don’t try to sweep or otherwise agitate them; when stressed, ladybugs release a yellow, smelly substance that can cause stains.
- In the spring, the beetles will return to the outdoors. Before they return in the fall, you can apply a residual insecticide around the exterior, doors, and windows of your home, to keep them from returning.
LADY BUGS EVERYWHERE!!!!! all outside and inside my house!!!! i mean there are hundreds its sooo gross. you cant move with out almost breathing them in !! how can i make them go away??? there over the whole house!!
lady bugs are all over the outside of my house. there` are literally hundreds all over the front of my house and my front deck. Luckily they haven’t gotten in. How do i get rid of them before they get in my house?
Please help
Here it is winter and the temps are below 0 and we are still finding ladybugs all over the house!!! We have had them since Oct. everywhere in the house but the worst is the kitchen which faces south. How long do these things live? Are they living in the cracks of our logs? I don’t want to live in a chemical compound. Does anyone know anything we can do to relieve this problem?
Peggy, they could be attracted to the logs (they spend the winter in crevices and caves) – they also leave behind a scent to mark their favorite winter hideouts! Seal cracks in your house to keep them from getting in, and vacuum them up when you see them. Unfortunately, it’s usually an annual problem in infested areas.
Hello all! I’m on Day 1 after spraying my windows and house with Spectricide (for bugs: asian ladybugs/beetles). have seen none today. Yesterday I was sitting on my couch and saw my window (at my head!) and it was covered in these pests. I jumped up, got my cats out of the way and sprayed the heck out of the window, around it, above it, etc…Then I went outside and sprayed the outside of the windows sills, and the siding. I cleaned the windows and vacuumed up all the carcasses of the dead ones. Main find?? I moved my couch to get to the window and found three small (quarter size) yellow spots on my carpet! I got my SpotShot and got rid of those, too. I KNOW it has to be from those nasty bugs because it was the color you see when you pick them up.
Anyway…I killed them (to heck with aphids!) and I don’t feel bad about them. If you see where they are clinging (like my window…gross)…do what I did. I’ll come back in the next few days and let you know if the Spectricide is still working. Good luck!!
HELP! My house is infested with ladybug larvae!! ZIt’s disgusting! There are thousands on my house. I live in a white house and it actually appears to white with black spots – thats how many there are! When approaching the door, you literally are crunching on them to get inside the house..is there ANYTHING anyone can reccommend to get rid of them? Please – it’s overwhelming and just plain gross!
Spray Raid outside and inside your house. Best to spray outside when they start swarming.
These nasty suckers came back this year as expected, we moved into this house last year at this time and the lady bugs showed up just after us, everywhere in the house! Last year I found a hole in an inside wall brace that they decided to use to hibernate so I sealed it with them inside knowing I only got a few hundred and there are hundreds more but they seemed to really disappear after that. Today they started to swarm all over the outside of the house so I sprayed spectracide all over the outside of my home … keeping fingers crossed, we liked these until last year!
I have so many lady bugs in my new house its starting to look old. The lady bugs drive my family crazy. Help Help Please
We do have several ladybugs in our house. Yesterday I went into my walkin closet….after just being there a couple of hours before….and there was an awful smell! REALLY stong…smelled similar to a rotten potato. I could not find anything in there…even looked for mold growing…but, found nothing. I noticed about three ladybugs in my bathroom (closet entrance is in bathroom). The ladybugs were flying around the light. I left home for couple of hours. When I returned I went to closet to remove all contents and clean that bad odor..BUT there was no bad odor there! Could the odor have been from some ladybugs? Even though none were in closet that I could see? I worry about a snake….just can’t help it! Anyone with info that would help me please let me know. thanks!
Will lemon scent candles get rid of these lady bugs.
Has anyone had issues with ladybugs under their vinyl siding? My husband thought the back of our house looked odd and after tearing off several sheets of siding and found rotting sheathing. At first we thought “inside moisture problem”- nope. Its dead, rotten sheets of lady bugs clogging the drip channel in the vinyl siding or a pan cake like sheet of dead and rotting bugs going up the wall of siding.
Yes. They crawl behind the vinyl siding. Vinyl siding is installed intentionally with cracks to allow for expansion and contraction. I paint the strapping to deter them. They’re attracted to untreated wood but not cedar.
OMG They are back ! I can’t deal with this any longer. We moved here from Ca and built a beautiful home with a river view and the golf course behind us. Last October I was sucking up hundreds weekly…it disgusts me they all go up under the blinds. My boyfriend thinks I over react but I can’t live like this I seriously want to leave my dream home…I have gardners to deal with the aphids and no one can help with lady bugs ?! Someone has to know what to do.This honestly makes me so depressed.
What you have is Asian Lady Beetles (not lady bugs). I empathize with you as I built a weekend log cabin that gets invaded (badly) every year, and it has taken me ten years to get over people telling me all I could do was vacuum them up. First, you should know that they are very resistant to insecticide and weather- they will find the smallest crevices and hole up in your home until spring. I have found a few things that in combination will work, but you must do them in advance of the first warm day after a frost in mid-late October when the ALB’s swarm.
First, order sage bundles (the real ones, fresh from the western US, not chemically scented candles, etc) and go around the inside and outside of your house making sure the smoke gets into the corners and crevices, essentially a smoke filled room. Keep a pan or bucket for the falling ashes. Don’t worry the scent dissipates in a couple of days. The SW Indians sage bundles these for spiritual cleansing but what I can tell you as ALB’s do not like it at all for some reason. I know it sounds crazy….but it helps alot.
Secondly, get some painters tape and plastic. Cover the fireplace opening completely with plastic and use the painter’s tape to cover the seams of every door or opening to the outside.
Thirdly, spray the outside of the home with a good residual insecticide – I use a product off the net called Demon WP. Wear goggles, gloves and a respirator, once it dries it is fairly harmless to be around and doesn’t carry an odor. Make sure you get all the corners and edges of the home including deck and railing spindles, etc. You can use Ortho Home on the inside of windows, screens etc, and that will get some but not all of them.
If this sounds like a lot of work, it is. But better that than having the stinky bugs fall into my wine glass and getting into everything all winter long. I am down to seeing less than half a dozen inside (alive) over the winter a year using the above approach, and it is worth it.
Here is a good informational website, so that you know these are not cute lady bugs to be spared and released outside as they will come right back in. They are an invasive species: http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef416.asp
Hi Blaine,
Thanks for the tips about getting rid of Asian Lady Beetles. We referenced the correct name in our article, but titled it “ladybugs” since that’s what most people (including the person who asked the question) think they have.
Blaine – Thanks for the great tips. Will start implementation now.
Two days ago I spent the afternoon with a hose constantly washing down the side of my house. Yesterday was spent vacuuming ALBs from the inside of my house until I decided to take the battle to them on the outside of the house, with the vacuum and a long extension. I FILLED the vacuum bag with one very mad hornet, one stinkbug and an estimated gallon of ALBs and that was just from the south facing side of the house.
We had them bad this year. It was indeed a swarm and they were all over mainly the west and south sides of the house. Some also got inside. Solution? Dawn dishwashing liquid. Yup, plain ole Dawn. I have a spray nozzle for the hose outside that has a refillable dispenser. I filled it with dawn, multiple times, and sprayed the critters liberally. Almost instant death. For the inside, I mixed a spray bottle with enough Dawn to turn the water a nice blue. Set the sprayer to “stream” and have a ball. One little squirt each to any resting beetles and down they go. Dawn liquid is an incredible bug killer. A friend had a wasp nest on his carport easily 7″ or 8″ across just covered with wasps. He mixed a pitcher with warm water and Dawn liquid, walked right up under the nest, and doused it. They fell to the ground in a huge wad. None flew. Sure they bite their wings on the ground for a short while, but all perished. I am a firm believer in Dawn, for clean dishes and dead bugs! Hope this helps.
Don’t I know how your Dawn killed them. These ladybugs, seem to like the Dawn. I think I seen a few taking a bath in it. I mixed Dawn with Raid bug killer. Still getting them. Not as many this year. But I want them gone or dead
Definitely a “winter Time” bug! The fact they eat aphids seems to be “summer Time Diet”. I live in Central Alabama and my house is inundated with Lady Bugs beginning in Late October, lasting through to spring. Millions of them! My house has yellow siding which I believe attracts them. Like the Fire Ants that have taken over most of the south, these ladies are becoming a nuisance!!!
I once wrote this poem:
Ladybug. Ladybug.
You’re no friend of mine.
You get in the vats,
and spoil all the wine.
I used to think it so cute if one landed on my pencil as I was writing in class.
I’ve changed my opinion now that I’m involved in wine making.
They truly are persistent and mean little beasties aren’t they? (still look cute on a lovely new yellow pencil).
we are moving from an apartment into a house this week. We’ve taken several runs to the house over the last couple of weeks. Every time we go in, we find these nasty, red critters all over the floors, and window seals. There much worse in the basement! I’m not sure I want to put my bed in this place!!! The thought of them crawling on me makes me queasy. At this point, I think I’d rather stay in this little apartment. Hope we can resolve this problem!
We get thousands inside our screen porch. I spray then vacuum them with a shop vac, and empty it several times a week. About 15 or so get inside. I don’t want them coming back, this is a huge chore that I don’t want to deal with every year. If they stayed on the outside I could live with it, but not on my porch.
Last Fall my red brick home was swarmed with not millions but billions of Asian Lady Beetles. Mostly the front of the house which faces south. From that day until the present we vacuum up at least 100 beetles a day. It is very frustrating because we cannot figure out how they are getting in. I covered all of our floor vents with screening thinking they were in the duct work but they are still getting in. It doesn’t appear they are coming in through the windows but that is where they like to hang out, and they leave their droppings like little speckles all over the walls and windows.
I will be trying the Dawn dish soap solution in hope that it works. Otherwise I will have the cleanest, bubbliest house in the neighborhood.
We recently bought a used van that sat for a while. The Asian beetle got inside of the van and died. I have washed the inside down and shampooed the carpets and seats and it still smells horrible. I’ve been spraying it down with febreeze daily and trying to air it out, but nothing seems to be helping. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I have been working at a hotel in eastern Tennessee for 4 years now and the last 2 years have been a real headache with ladybugs and ALB’s. They get thru the grill on the HVAC unit in the room and commence to hiding in the corners of the room, I have sprayed, vacuumed and any other form to get rid of them. Our housekeepers use a lint roller, very stick and just roll them up and throw them away. It is so hard to convince a guest that the lady bugs will not harm you or do anything to you, but that does not help, when a guest opens a door of a room and there is 4 or 5 of them on the ceiling or on the wall, even though the room was in excellent condition a hour prior, due to cleaning. Putting out a nice word about how they can effect hotel rooms and that they will not be eaten, when you get in there would be nice.
Other than filling in holes to prevent entry, vacuuming is the most effective way to deal with these bugs.
I ‘m so sicxk and tired of hearing that. Vacuuming isn’t dealing with the bugs any more than a mop is dealing with a leaking pipe.
It’s the vacuuming that people don’t want to have to do.
I’ve just been reading all your tips on how to rid my kitchen of those lovely ladybugs. They’re very cute when you find one or two but they are everywhere.
Thank you
This is an introduced species. Introduced by the USDA. We should all form a class action lawsuit! We have thousands of them in the house right now. We can’t vacuum enough!
They are everywhere! I don’t even know how they get inside the house, but this year is the first year to have a severe problem with them!! I can’t stand bugs and all I do every day when I get home and through the evening is try and kill all these stupid ALB’s!!!
I just recently emailed the USDA questioning better methods of ridding of these massive swarms of insects. I have been told they were introduced as Lajaw says and here in Kentucky they call them Turkey Beetles and were introduced to attract Turkeys. Well, the turkeys have shown an increase in numbers..but they aren’t eating fast enough!!! If I hear something promising from the USDA regarding a way to get rid of them permanently, I will post information.
One thing people don’t know is that ladybugs can cause pretty serious allergic reactions. I started getting really sick every time I went to work and ended up at the allergist for re-testing. Turns out I am very allergic to ladybugs (which fall in the cockroach family)! While they are mainly harmless, sharing air space with them in a confined area like a home or office can cause allergic reactions. Now I get allergy shots to manage the symptoms because they keep coming back.
We’re invaded with thousands of ladybugs today. It’s like a horror movie. They are outside and now wasps are coming on the porch. I’m so glad to have found this page.
I’m in western TN
I just rid my screened porch of many ALBs by putting dish detergent in water in an old ice cream bucket. I flicked the little buggers (Wear a glove if you are squeamish.) into the water or gently tapped the screens. It was much easier than dragging the wet/dry vaccuum in and having to reach way up. (This is the same method I use during Japanese beetle season outdoors.)
We’ve had this problem for several years with the ALB. Thought they were brought in. We either vacuum them or scoop them into an empty water bottle. Recently, we started adding a little water and Dawn to the bottle and noticed the liquid is killing them. We’ll throw the bottle away and start new every couple days. They weren’t around for a week or so but have returned in abundance. Tomorrow, we’re spraying outside with Dawn/water. Thanks for the tip. Read that camphor or menthol oils mixed with water in a spray bottle would deter them as they don’t like the odor but our local Walmart doesn’t carry either. If I do locate some and try, will repost results. Happy killing!
Can you please reply back to this?
I live in your average house that’s fairly big. In my room, occasionally I’d see a yellowish/reddish ladybug on the wall, so I’d kill it. This has happened several times this year. They’re sometimes crawling on a blanket of mine, too. Where do they come from? I sleep on the bottom of a bunkbed. There’s nowhere they could come from, as the bunkbed is against the wall and the windows are always closed. How are they getting into my room? I have a fear of all insects, even ladybugs. Please help me!
Hi Gretchen,
I empathize with you. Bless your heart. I feel this way about spiders. Get a spray bottle and fill almost full with water. Add a strong essential oil (can be purchased online or at health food stores) about 30 drops. Peppermint oil works well and you can add cinnamon and cloves for a nice wintry smell. Use lemon and orange oils in spring and summer. Shake well before spraying. Spray directly on the bugs when you see them and spray around your windows. It is toxic to bugs and will make your room smell great. I would also invest in a cordless, handheld vacuum with a long hose attachment to suck them up. I’m glad you only have a few. I have literally thousands that smell up my house. I am constantly vacuuming. I have found lots of great tips on this site. I am going to try the Dawn dishwashing liquid on the outside of my house. Best of luck to you.
We live in a red brick home, and it was a absolute nightmare. We live in a small, northern alabama town, and suddenly, they came in droves. People suggesting vacuuming and turn them loose have obviously never had them covering your crown moulding, to where is one giant bug. Ugh! My husband got fed up when they started dropping in his coffee, and mounted a bug zapper in the living room. Crude, but effective. For those who are desperate, this is a effective and inexpensive option.
I’ve got an idea. Let’s all box up our Asian Lady Beetles and mail them to the USDA as a way of showing our appreciation for such a BRILLIANT IDEA of theirs for introducing these Asian Lady Beetles into our lives.
Lee
Ellington, Missouri
I was just saying today I needed to know who is releasing these bugs. I think they do it every year around the same time! I do not believe they leave something behind that tells them where to return every year. The amount of time and money we’ve spent should be enough to file a lawsuit for compensation!! I’d read somewhere lemon and lemon oil is effective but I’ve tried both with no success. I’m convinced there is nothing to do to fix the problem except the expectation they are no longer released in droves!
We have a lot of ladybugs in our house. Can they be causing the chemical smell that I smell in my house? I live in South central Mississippi.
Thanks
Bug zapper, I like that idea.
In he past few years the second story to my house has became infested with the buggers starting in late fall and usually stick around until early spring. They leave that awful smell…I have a little dustbuster and even one of those bug zappers that look like a tennis racket. But they still persist. A couple weeks ago I bought a Raid Fly Pole at Walmart. I hung it right next to the light in my room and they were soon landing on it. The pole is like a shiny six inch chrome rod with the bottom in a white cardboard like cup. Once they land on it, they will slowly fall down to the cup. There, they can move but the sticky stuff on their legs keeps them from falling to the floor. Though, eventually they climb up out of the bowl and fall to the floor, but will go no further. The product is only two or three dollars. Its worked wonders for me…just letting you know.
Does anyone know if state departments of agriculture are releasing these bugs? Or is it only the USDA? We really should figure out the appropriate place and contact them.
There is a history different “experts” introducing outside species to fix some problem, and there have been many disastrous results. This has also happened with kudzu and carp. We should not allow these people to act with impunity. Their reckless programs are hurting the environment we all have to share, and these are government agencies, and thus are accountable to the people.
We just bought a house and have these bugs everywhere. I am TERRIFIED come Fall when they swarm. Does the Dawn dishsoap work? I’m also interested in where I can buy sage bundles? I love love love our house, but HATE these bugs!!!
My room is completely overrun with ladybugs. Even in spring and summer they still come in. Any suggestions?
I have excellent results with a sprinkling of Borax or baking soda wherever they seem to be. I have used it on window sills with great results.
Ok, I had read most of your posts and you all seem to be in the US somewhere. I am in the UK and the buggars are sticking to the outside of my bungalow like glue. They have arrived in swarms which has caused an infestation and they are vile! I have a mixture of red, mustardy/yellow, orange oh and black with red spots HELP!!!!! They are seriously worse than flies and for me to say that they really are vile!!!
This morning I used my power washer with liquid sevin to spray the west side of my grey painted house. Sure are a lot of dead Asian Lady Beatles on the ground tonight.
Answer is…its not USDA shipping bugs out haha. However, u noticed fire ants are worse in last two years? …about the same time the ladybugs got worse? Yes, that’s because the insecticides farmers used have been regulated and they can’t use the old insecticides anymore that used to kill lots of bugs and ants. uhhum they dont kill fire ants and ladybugs anymore because ladybugs were “helpful” to the environment and we have to deal with it along with the ants.
they are all over the house and I don’t like it make them go away!
These insects are invasive and were a product of a farmer who wanted to rid his field of “his” bugs. Meanwhile, North America are suffering from his selfishness. They bite and stick and come into the air conditioner sleeve. I’ve had thousands of them in my home. Now I have them in my bathroom. They are attracted to the light. Why can’t we file a class action suit for all the aggreviation we’ve endured becaused of this idiot farmer?
I seem to have a L.B. infestation in my college dorm room. it is a private room. the L.B.’s keep finding a way in, even tho my windows are locked shut. the other day I removed 3 of them from my room, and came back to find 4 more. some of these tips were helpful, but do you have any other tips? they keep coming no matter how many times my room gets fumigated.
I bought a house in early Jan and here in the beginning of March ladybug’s are in all the window frames and now coming into my house. I found out from a neighbor that a potential buyer before us backed out because they found the house had an infestation of ladybug’s. This means the owners were aware of the infestation and did not disclose that to us before purchase. I wonder if I can go after the sellers to pay for an exterminator?
I’m from Northern New York and my house has been taken over by these Asian Lady beetles. They have literally ruined my life. i spend everyday getting rid of these bugs. I’m even too embarrassed to have people over to visit. I can’t sleep upstairs anymore because of them. house is too big to seal off every crack and they’re already in the walls so i have to wait till spring to try sealing the outside up. no understands how stressful they are. i have nightmares about them. I’ve actually thought about trying to move because i can’t deal with this next winter or if they don’t leave in the spring.
Anytime i see a lady bug, i think back to the year 2000. I had graduated university, got married, had a baby, and moved to SE KY for my first job as a professional. All couldnt be perfect of course. Turns out the house we rented was one day suddenly infested with lady bugs.
I had never heard of this happening so we were completely caught off guard. I remember scrambling for the vaccuum, sucking up these stinky bugs, every window of the hous I took breaks 2-3 times to dump the bags in a small creek next to the house before doing the whole process over AGAIN. It was so unrea l it seemed supernatral. I am not kidding, or exaggerating because they literally appeared to proliferate from the inside of the windows, never the doors. The windows were tight as any i had ever seen. It seemed impossible for anything to sqeeze through the windows. To this day i have a hard time understanding that.
I had signed a one year lease but after six months of “hell,” we had enough. The straw that broke the camels back was when my daughter popped up from crawling and stood up in front of my as i layed on the couch and a terrible smell emitted from her mouth. I said “open your mouth sweety.” She did, and it was full of lady bugs! I dug them all all out and said “we are getting the hell out of here!” We moved back to our home state where we rarely see a lady bug. Once you have an experience like this, you will not even want to see them in pictures.
Roger,
That is quite an experience! Thanks for sharing.
I just bought a used RV i have no idea were it came from but im very upset i just found dead lady bugs in the RV , we bought it from a dealer my question is even if we moved the rv will the lady bugs come back ?
I found about 5 or 6 adult Asian Ladybugs. But I’m now dealing with babies all over my house. In sinks and they stick to clothing. And are in my bed. Will they die if on my clothes and they go through laundry cycle. I don’t want to do that unless I know that will kill them. Because then would have to start all over again. There are so many black dots all over and they fly. Some are rust colored but mainly they are black. Identified as Asian lady bugs plus grain beetles. Not in my stored food. It’s maddening. How long will this go on? I live in a 12 story apartment building and pest control had no ideas.
Hi, Janet! Sorry to hear about your infestation! Soapy water can kill ladybugs, yes; but that doesn’t mean we recommend killing ladybugs in soapy water. We do recommend using the tips provided in this article. Thanks for your question!
We live in Knoxville …..every year around this time the bugs come in the thousands…..None yesterday or this morning and as of 1pm we are seeing hundreds on our house a few inside….I kill them and sweep them up in a sealed bag and say please do not come back…..After the swarms we have to pressure wash the house because they leave stinky trails that attract others…..Every year we also have a stink bug swarm but as soon as we noticed one we collected all we possible could……like the ladybug they follow pheromones that attract thousands….No big swarms of stink bugs but under attack big time from the Lady Bugs. Good luck everyone….let me know if you have found a solution……..Thanks Kat Knoxville Tennessee 10/30/2018
We have been dealing with ladybugs each year for more than three years! Please do not listen to the friend who tells you, “Oh, please don’t kill them… They get rid of aphids and save plants…” Oh, boo, hoo, hoo!!! I fell for that crap the first year I saw a more than normal amount of those little nuisances and now my household is paying many times over! I know they GOD’s creatures, but I do wish that they would find some other area of creation to occupy!!!
We live about an hour’s drive outside Vancouver Bc Canada, a zone 6/7 climate. For the entire 12 years we’ve lived in our lower mountainside vinyl-sided house on a farming acreage we’ve been plagued by ladybugs. This year we’ve had an unseasonably warm winter; no snow or freezing temperatures at all and those damn ladybugs are already busily crawling around. Like others have said, embarrassing to have your overnight guests report finding one crawling on their toothbrush on the morning. I am an avid gardener but would rather go out every day and spray aphids with a blast from the hose than deal with months of crawling ladybugs. I vacuum them every day with a built in- no escape routes there!-they suffocate! And good riddance too! They DO bite and leave poop trails on windows.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/18430308/
These Beetles release an allergen that causes Rhino conjunctivitis and other things.
Best practice is to seal and apply insecticide after they leave your home. Seek medical attention when symptoms present.
After spending over $100,000 on an old log home and not knowing that the Asian bugs would ruin everything ; and so bad I can’t sleep in a nice room .. Looks like the government would be responsible for at least in part for dropping them out of a helicopter behind my house in the national forest . I am allergic and can’t breath because of them . They should pay to seal my home and or exterminate them . It is bad and ruined my quality of life to the point that I can’t breath !!!!
I have been dealing with these things for months. Yes they stink. They literally crawl all over my so in his bed. His room is the worse. Just told my husband that I never see them in our room or bathroom. Mainly upstairs and the kitchen and dining areas. Cant figure out why they arent in certain rooms, but the upstairs is worse. I’m so tired of hearing people say, “Dont kill them, they’re good luck”. Makes me want to bag them up and send to them. Someone told me to get lemon pine sol and set a few bowls around the house. I have lemon re renuzit cones and lemon tarts in my tart burner. Also have some bay leaves set out. I’m willing to try anything. The next will probably be hiring past control
I just moved in my new place and ladybugs are everywhere…. When I was a child they were beautiful but not in my new home…. The pest control technician claim the pesticide he use should work… He sprayed around my patio door and all windows…. I just seen one flying, they must go….
Ladybugs are natural insect pest control in your garden. However, ladybug infestation can be troublesome. I appreciate the nice tips provided here. If all my efforts don’t work, I will be sure to call a pest control specialist.
I am a carpenter/roofer. These bugs POUR in through roof vents, fill up attics, come through ceiling light receptacles and ceiling fans.
So true, Charlie! These bugs are relentless, so we hope these tips help.
I noticed this as well. My solution is to vacuum out all the attic insulation and redo the electrical so the boxes are sealed. I also replaced the attic vent screens. Piles of dead bugs trapped behind the screening. I’ve been battling these bugs all winter. It’s difficult because I have so many cracks where they could be hiding. They actually burrow holes similar to termites as well. Nasty bugs. Now when I see them, I kill them immediately, as they breed rapidly.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the TodaysHomeowner.com community!
I’ve had an infestation of ALB for several years. Nothing would get rid of them. Several months ago, I started using an essential oil diffuser with lavender oil, for the relaxation effect. Whether coincidence or not, the lady bugs are not bothering me this winter. If I leave the diffuser off for a day or so, the little pests start venturing out, I turn the diffuser on and they disappear. Use only 100% pure oil, not the watered down store brands.
We haven’t tried using oil diffusers on ladybugs, but it sounds promising.
Thanks for the tip, Danny!
Makes sense as they’re guided heavily by odours, it appears. Ultimately, one would have to seal all cracks to ensure that they don’t return. Sprayfoam, caulking, tuck tape, and primer are your best friends. Take the time to seal everything. Eventually you should be able to narrow down the hiding options available to them. I’m at the point of searching for alternative housing so I can attack these bugs full on. It’s difficult to deal with if you’re living in the space.
Wow. No wonder there are so many people with allergies and illness and cancer… so many of you are practically BATHING in chemicals and insecticides to get rid of beneficial, harmless bugs! And no wonder we are losing natural pollinators… not just because so many of you are just killing them all without a thought or care in the world for your actions, but also, again, the ridiculous amounts of pesticides!!
Wow. My faith in humanity couldn’t have gotten any lower.
A bunch of grown people who’s only thoughts are to immediately kill something.
Get off your lazy butts, humanely put them outdoors, and actually seal your house up properly, instead of continually polluting the air and yourselves.
No wonder this world is in trouble!
We fully support humane removal of pests, if that’s an option.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!