Infestation
The ladybug is often welcomed into many garden crops as they will eat many aphid species that will otherwise destroy your crops. If there is a low supply of aphids for the ladybug to feed on, they may also eat the eggs of moths and beetles, as well as mites, and feed on other small insects. Some ladybugs may also feed on pollen and nectar.
While many enjoy the antics of the ladybug, overpopulation can cause many problems. One of the most common problems with a growing population within your home is the odor. Ladybugs will secrete a yellow-orange substance. This is their blood and it will emit a very strong odor and may permanently stain materials, such as drapes and carpeting, as well as the wallpaper or paint on your walls. Many individuals find themselves having allergic reactions to ladybugs, whether inhalant allergies or irritation of the skin from their secretions. If you find yourself becoming overpopulated with ladybugs, there are ways to help control them.
Ladybug Infestations
During the winter ladybugs come together in massive colonies to hibernate. The ideal hibernation area for a ladybug is warm and secure. Thus, ladybugs find the comfort of home just as pleasing as humans, and often infest households by the hundreds during wintertime. Once a single ladybug finds a suitable place to hibernate they secrete a special pheromone (scent) that lets other ladybugs know where they are. The pheromone is so strong it can be detected by other lady bugs up to a quarter mile away! Perhaps even more amazing is the fact that this scent can remain for years, attracting swarms of ladybugs to the same house year after year. If this scent could be completely removed from the house, then the infestation could possibly be controlled, however ladybugs do not only secrete this chemical pheromone onto external surfaces, but they also lay it inside walls and other internal structures of the house. Thus the only way to get rid of ladybug infestations is to prevent them from ever occurring in the first place.
Ladybug Prevention and Control
The only way to prevent and control ladybug infestation is to stop them from getting in the house. As mentioned, once they are in they will secrete their pheromone and the house will become a hibernation ground for years to come, until it is properly sealed. Even killing the existing ladybugs will not prevent more ladybugs from returning. Ladybugs enter the house through any small opening that they can access, including but not limited to open doors and windows, small cracks, chimneys, pipes, and any other structural vulnerability that can be exploited. For this reason ladybugs most commonly infest older homes with inadequate insulation.
Ladybugs do not really do any harm once they’re inside of a house, as they’ll be hibernating for the majority of the time. They do not eat clothing, fabric, plant matter, or anything else of value to humans, and they do not bite. Nonetheless, many people find it annoying to have to share their house with hundreds of them during the winter.
There are extermination services available that can aid in the eradication of ladybug infestation, however these services do not focus solely on killing the current ladybug population, but rather on sealing the house from further intrusion. This extermination practice is called “inclusion.” Most people can complete this process without professional assistance using some simple caulking, however some houses may require new insulation and other improvements to completely seal the home.
The best way to control ladybugs is simply to prevent them from entering your home. However, if they do get in, there is a way to remove them. One of the most common methods by homeowners is to use a shop vacuum to remove them. If you find yourself in need of something else, there are pesticides that can be used to help you with your ladybug infestation. You’ll simply want to be careful of where you place the pesticides as you may end up with an infestation of aphids or another pest.
Pesticides containing Cyfluthrin is best to get rid of your ladybug infestation. This is used by many pest control companies to get rid of many indoor pests such as ants, roaches, earwigs, and ladybugs. In the case of ladybugs, you will not need to use the pesticide indoors. You’ll want to make sure it is applied, however, to indoor cracks, any crevices, and points the ladybug may be entering your house by. You may also want to treat the siding of your home with this at least a couple of weeks before the ladybug usually appears or as soon as you see one. One must be cautious with pesticides and you must be careful to follow directions.
The fact is the ladybug will help you to control unwanted pests in your garden, but an infestation of ladybugs themselves can cause other irritating problems to you. The best thing you can do is to make sure you catch all ladybugs that come into your home before they have time to become overpopulated. Enjoy them outside of your home, but don’t let them in or they’ll never leave on their own.
In some cases the investment required to ladybug-proof a house is simply not warranted when considering the harmful nature of the animal. However there are some cases when infestation becomes extreme, and/or only minor modifications are needed to seal the house. In most cases, many of the lady bugs will die on their own since most homes do not contain adequate humidity during the winter, which is crucial towards their survival.
The above information can prevent ladybug infestations from reoccurring the following winter, however is not likely to make a substantial difference in eradicating the current infestation.