When Ladybugs Invade

Admit it. At some point you or your friend or your cousin or your daughter dressed up as a ladybug for Halloween. It’s an easy, last minute costume, when you’ve let time get away from you. Paint some black dots on some red fabric and stick on some bug antennae. Vualah!

However, while you expect little human ladybugs to be knocking on your door come Halloween, you don’t really anticipate a swarm of the real deal come wintertime.

But that’s exactly what they do. They, like most birds, migrate south for the winter and want to be as warm and snug as a bug in a rug – in your home. The infestations can be attributed to the bugs with a more orange coloring than red. They are attracted to light colors and warmth. So, if you’re wondering why they congregate at your south facing, powder blue, dining room; there’s your answer. They’ll hang out in ceiling corners, windowsills, and doorframes, where it’s easy to enter through a crack or hole.

Fortunately, ladybugs don’t eat your household products or lay eggs in your clothes. But while adorable when one lands on you at a picnic (considered good luck), dozens to hundreds of them surrounding your dining room table isn’t considered charming at a dinner party. No one wants to see ladybug carcasses on the menu. Ladybugs also release a small amount of yellow-tinged blood that can be nearly impossible to remove from walls and light fabrics. They can also cause indoor allergies, so keeping them outdoors is a priority, especially for those with toddlers.

To prevent them, having a regular service with a pest control company like Command every season is going to be your best bet.

But if you already have them, vacuuming them immediately and emptying the bag (to reduce smell) is important. Here are some other ways people across the net have reportedly prevented them:

• Prevent entry by sealing up cracks and crevices and installing screens on attic fans and exhausts.
• Burn lemon-scented or mulberry-scented candles, and spray vinegar or mint oil in the previous locations discussed
• Hang dark-colored curtains in south facing rooms

Do you have any tried and true methods of keeping ladybugs outside? Let us know!