Ladybugs, not so lady like.
My house is infested with ladybugs! It happens more than people would like to think. Ladybugs, or commonly called lady bird beetles, are a beneficial insects when outside as they protect our gardens from spider mites and aphids, which can be harmful to gardens. Lady bugs eat them, this is good. But if they decide to winter in your home or business you may have a problem, especially the imported species, the Multicolored Asian Lady Bug or Lady Bug Beetle.
They turn from beneficial garden protector to pest when adult lady bugs enter your home when the weather starts to turn cool in the fall. They are simply looking for shelter. Other species will find places to winter outside under tree bark or in tall grass, but not the multicolored Asian lady bug, they like nice warm houses and may show up in the hundreds. Lady bugs in general do not cause any real harm to humans besides being a pest indoors. Once inside they will want to stay and if you have acquired a large amount of them, they can be messy and exude a viscous yellow, foul-smelling defensive fluid that may stain. They may also contribute to indoor allergies. Lady bugs do not feed or breed indoors.
What can be done?
It is important to prevent lady bugs from wintering in your home. Brown Exterminating can provide an exterior treatment by spraying the exterior walls during the autumn months.
Ladybugs become a problem in your home when they move inside our homes for the winter, sometimes in great numbers, seeking a place to winter and avoid the approaching cold weather. One or two lady bugs can reside in your home unnoticed and are only typically seen in a sink or bathtub looking for water. These stow always will gladly return outside when the weather warms up provided they survive.
When the summer has provided conditions for the ladybug population to swell, it is almost certain there will be many, many ladybugs that will want to come into your nice warm house for the winter. In Virginia ladybug 'gatherings' in or on the exterior of a home can number in the hundreds or more. With this many, they are pests and cause three main problems; staining, smell and the fact that are a bunch of lady bugs in or on your home.
It is beneficial to you and your home to keep them away from your house. Sealing cracks and openings around doors, windows, utility wires, openings around pipes, chimneys, soffit vents and gable vents will keep them outside. Also call Brown Exterminating to request an inspection and quote to get rid of the lady bugs. We will assess the problem, identify the insect and provide a plan for treatment. Servicing Martinsville, Danville and the Henry county and Pittsylvania county Va area. Call today for your free inspection and quote. |