Sitting in our back porch this weekend it was hard to ignore the small swarm of Lady Bugs joining us.
Then, surfing through Facebook there was a comment from a friend who had recently moved to a new home concerned about the swarm of critters around her front door.
Why are all these Bugs Here? Are they dangerous? How do I get them out of my house? Should I call an exterminator? The Facebook conversation that followed her post made it clear to me that many of you could benefit from a brief education on the harmless, actually beneficial, Beetles that are currently invading your space.
First, there are two varieties of Lady Bugs in our area, the common one with pronounced spots, and the Asian Lady Bug is mainly orange with spots that are usually barely visible.
Neither of these beetles pose a health or safety risk to your family or your home.
During the summer months they feed on aphids which are detrimental to both landscape ornamentals and food crops, therefore Lady bugs are actually desirable for their natural pest control properties.
As summer fades the Lady Bugs begin to look for a place to over winter and on warm sunny fall days you will see them congregate in mass on southern locations on your home.
They are attracted to both the warmth and lighter colors so white and yellow homes are prime areas for congregation.
Once they migrate indoors they do not feed or reproduce but they can be a nuisance by their mere presence.
There are technically chemicals that have some effect to kill them but do you really want to apply pesticides inside your home to control a harmless insect? The best option is to break out the shop vac and suck up some beetles! There is also a common misconception that lady Bugs or Asian Beetles bite, this is incorrect.
They rarely pinch exposed skin but this is not a bite or a sting and they carry no diseases.
If this does occur it is more startling than painful and merely brushing the critter off your body is sufficient.
I don't recommend crushing them though as they do possess a fairly strong odor when crushed.
Hopefully this brief education on Lady Bugs helps to answer some questions, and just as the Lady Bugs are, get out there and enjoy the beautiful fall weather when the opportunity arises!