Conference 7.286::home_work

    
    I found a ladybug about a month ago in our newly built house...not
    hoards of them though.  Unfortunately I killed it as it was laying
    on its back looking like a tick or a spider...when I picked it up
    I felt bad...
    
    

    Lady bugs represent good luck!
    
    Marc H.

    
    It sounds like you were talking about my house ;-)
    
    During the early spring, the windows of my house that get the direct
    sun, become ladybug play grounds. i have no idea as to where they
    come from, having torn down the walls during remod and not finding
    any breeding grounds, they just seem to appear. i haven't found
    them to be any problem until they get hit with a cold spell and
    have to be vacuumed up.
    
    One thing i have found out is there is more than one type of lady bug,
    and some give a nasty bite 
    
    i guess some old houses just have more character(s)
    
    Kevin B.

    Lady Bugs eat other bugs....as such, they get special attention in my
    home.
    
    Marc H.

    Lady bugs who grow up in your yard eat bugs  in your yard.  Ladybugs 
    you buy all fly straight up from your yard and head for their home
    valley in California, eating bugs along the way perhaps, but most
    interested in those tasty California bugs like Mom used to make.
    

    
    It doesn't matter as long as they lay eggs first!  The pre-adult is
    the voracious feeder.  It looks like a black grub with short
    spider-like legs at one end, perhaps with a few orange spots
    on the body. It can't fly, so hangs around one plant feasting on
    aphids.
    
    The ones in the house are over-wintering and will seek a way out to
    breed in your yard as soon as it warms up.  If you bring some plants in
    for the winter - as we do with the Geraniums - you may have brought
    in some chrysalids which hatched thanks to your heating system.
    
    Useful allies.
    
    Colin
    

    Thanks for all of the replies so far. The puzzling part for me was that
    we came across them all Winter off and on, and we only have 3 plants,
    none of which we brought in from outside, and none of which have aphids
    (I know, probably because of the Ladybugs).
    
    I shall continue to free them as best I can in hopes they will survive.
    
    Linda

    
    We have a serious problem in our house with ladybugs, and I'm way past
    the limits of patience and good-will towards them.  We live in central
    MA, and during the warm fall, we started to get *hundreds* of ladybugs
    in our house each day.  We would scopp them up and put them outside,
    only to get hundreds more the next day.  Finally, one day during
    vigorous cleaning, I found clumps of these bugs.  (It was disgusting).
    They were centered near the window where we had an air conditioner, and
    figured they were coming in thru there, so owe took the a/c out, and
    tracked down every last one of those suckers.  Or so I thought.  It's
    been a couple of months, and I still see 5-10 in the house a day.  I am
    on a mission, and get rid of every one I see, but I am convinced there
    are still more of them.
    
    The strange thing is, they are almost always just in the living room
    (where the a/c was), altho I have seen 1 or 2 in other rooms.
    Another strange thing is that a friend of mine heard that gray & blue
    houses were inundated with ladybugs this fall.  It's certainly true in
    our neighborhood - our house is gray, and a neighbor with a blue house
    had thousands in clumps inside his house as well, but no one else is
    bothered by them.
    
    Does anyone know what is going on?  And how do I get rid of them?  We
    have recessed lights in our living room, and I am convinced that there
    are scores of them hiding up there, waiting for the spring, and making
    more little ladybugs.
    
    Please don't tell me they are good luck, etc.  I am sure I have passed
    the several-thousand mark here with the bugs, and I have 2 very small 
    children, and they are afraid of them.  The bugs also seem to be
    centered near the kids' toys.  I need to get rid of them!  Help??
    
    Thanks,
    -Lynne
            

    Hey ... hey  ... do you mean ...

	WE'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES?

    I had thought that we were the target of some Judeo-Christian curse.

    Kevin
    (Light Grey House in Central Mass. Ladybugs in the kitchen. No clumps - 
    yet. But its not for lack of trying.)

    
    Wow!!! I don't have tons of them, but I did have a few a while ago and
    found it odd.
    
    Patty
     (Beige house in North Central Mass)

    
    We too have ladybugs everywhere and we like it.
    We're hoping they survive the winter somehow.
    
    We think we may have brought them in with some plants this past
    autumn.
    
    						Regards
    
    							Hank

    Our's come in around the front door.  My wife vacuums them up or throws
    them outside.  She didn't mind them until she found black specks all
    over the curtains from them.  Our house is beige.
    
    						John

    We had a total of about 30 ladybugs in the house so far this fall.  We
    figured they snuck in when we were taking off the window screens and
    washing the windows back in early Nov.  
    	This past Monday I saw 3 or 4 bugs on the curtains.  I think they're 
    neat.  My wife hates them.  We now have 3-4 more dead ladybugs outside the 
    front door :-(
    
    Our house is pale Blue with light grey shutters, Bedford Mass.

    	Me too!!! My "lady bugs" me to take out the trash, pile the wood,
    clean the chimney ect... 
    
    	Beige house North worcester county.
    

I've got them too!  The most we had at one time is ~ 20.  Slowly decreasing 
their population (unless they are getting real good at hiding).  They stayed
mostly by the windows at my house too.

Laura
(grey house in So NH)

    Does anyone know how to keep them out?!?!

    There not even cute anymore.

    I was also beginning to wonder about these ladybugs! I have found them 
    only in the living room where the A/C is located. I haven't had more
    than 15-20 floating (or bumping) around at a time.
    
    dana
    
    (white house in Brookline, NH)
    

A friend in Mont Vernon was recently rearranging some ceiling insulation
in his basement/garage and found an area where he located thousands of
ladybugs above the insulation and under the subfloor between the joists.

    Just a couple of days ago my daughter asked me impatiently, "WHEN are
    the LADYBUGS coming?!"  I had completely forgotten that the Worcester
    Telegram & Gazette had printed a little blurb... probably back in
    October or November... predicting this influx.  After reading this
    string I seem to remember the article mentioning house color as a
    determinant, too.  Worth giving them a call!  Main # 508-793-9100.  I
    believe they said the ladybugs *won't* be after your food.
    
    Leslie

    There's a church in New Hampshire where I attended mass a couple weeks
    ago. The ladybug population in this church has has grown over the past
    few months to the point where the ladybugs outnumber the attendees.
    They were everywhere; on the pews, the walls, the carpet. One was
    crawling down my husband's neck.  Another was on my boot.
    I don't know how they've lasted. What do they eat?  
    This is a huge white church.   
    
    eyuk

    
    re: .19   - Thanks for the pointer.  I called the Telegram & Gazette,
    but unfortunately the fellow in the library told me that was a wire
    service story, so they did not keep it in their library.  He couldn't
    tell me how to track down a wire service story without knowing which
    service it was from. 
    
    re: .20   -  I'd be interested in finding out how they are
    surviving/what they are eating as well.  (Or maybe I don't want to
    know).  But since I haven't seen them in the kitchen, or on any of our
    houseplants, it's been making me wonder.
    
    Still playing hostess to the ladybugs,
    -Lynne
    

Ladybugs are generally benificial insects that feed on other insects or
their eggs.  So the question might be, what else are you infested with?
Sorry, maybe you didn't want to think about that one.  Found one dead
one while cleaning up this weekend, could have been there since the
summer though...


PeterT

    I've got ladybugs this year...and virtually no flies, which have
    been a problem in past years.  I'll take the ladybugs!
    

     Lady beetle, introduced for biological control, could become
nuisance
     ITHACA, N.Y. -- Introduced in the United States as a
biological control agent for aphids, an Asian variety of lady
beetle is multiplying so well that it could become a nuisance.
     "At first, Harmonia axyridis failed to become established
except in the deep South, although they were introduced in the
Eastern United States from 1978 to 1982," said E. Richard Hoebeke,
an insect taxonomist in the Cornell University Department of
Entomology.  "For some reason, in the past few years, the Asian
lady beetles began spreading northward.  The migrants invaded
houses in Virginia and West Virginia last fall and they reached
most areas of Pennsylvania."
     One and one-half times the size of this country's common lady
beetles, such as Adalia bipunctata, the two-spotted lady beetle,
and somewhat more aggressive, the Asian beetles can cluster by the
hundreds or thousands on the outsides of buildings.  Indoors, they
may be viewed as nuisances, the entomologist noted.
     The Asian lady beetles are highly variable in color, ranging
from tan to deep orange, with or without spots.  They are also
nearly round, whereas most native lady beetles are oval-shaped.
     Aside from the household crunchy bug problem, the exotic lady
beetles are a biodiversity concern because they could displace
native species of lady beetles.  That may already be happening in
the Northeast, where the seven-spotted lady beetle known as C-7
(Coccinella septempunctata) was released as a biological control
and seems to be out-competing C-9 (or Coccinella novemnotata, the
nine-spotted lady beetle).  C-9 beetles have all but vanished from
New York, where they were declared the official state insect in
1985.  In their place are the larger, more aggressive and
cannibalistic C-7 beetles.
     "There may be no reason why the Asian lady beetles cannot
become established in the Northeast," Hoebeke said, noting that the
insects originated in parts of China and Korea with similar
climates.  "It depends on whether they can over-winter here, and
the winter of 1993-94 will be a good test."
     To learn whether Asian lady beetles have crossed the
Pennsylvania border into New York, Hoebeke is asking New Yorkers
for beetles that look like H. axyridis.  For the record, the first
positively identified H. axyridis in New York came in February from
Erin, N.Y., about 12 miles from Pennsylvania.  The bug was found in
a bathtub.  Hoebeke is the senior extension associate and assistant
curator of the Cornell University Insect Collection and a member of
the state's Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS).   
     "Of course, one person's pest is another's pal," said Hoebeke
of the lady beetle, which is known as the "aphid lion" for its
voracious appetite for a genuine pest.  Aphids suck juices from
ornamental plants, they spread plant viruses and the sticky
honeydew that they leave behind harbors mold on the plants.  Lady
beetles also attack scales and other plant pests.
     "The good news," Hoebeke says, "is that there's no shortage of
aphids."
     -30-


William Holder          (Internet): [email protected]
Cornell News Service            phone: (607) 255-3290
840 Hanshaw Road                fax: (607) 257-6397
Ithaca, NY 14850

    And they bite, HARD, too!  Some of my shrubs in the front of the house
    have large numbers of lady bugs on them, and whenever I have to prune
    the shrubs I get bitten by the little rascals.  I was shocked to see
    such a pretty, helpful little thing causing such discomfort!  The up
    side is that before the lady bugs moved in, most of my ornamental
    plants were loaded with aphids and were suffering from them.  I don't
    spray any insecticides because my son and my dogs are always out
    in the yard.  Haven't seen any in my house, but then, it's red!
    Sarah

More on the Asian lady bug:

              Oregon State University Extension Service  
                       Department of Entomology
                       Home & Garden Newsletter
                                    
               Contact:  Jack D. DeAngelis, Extension Entomologist
               Phone: (503) 737-5499
               Fax: (503) 737-3643
               Email: [email protected] (Internet)
      
          Disclaimers: Use these newsletters any way you wish.
     But, if you change them, please take my name off. Also,
     please do not publish our phone number(s) in your local
     newspaper. Information is presented here for users in
     Oregon, it may or may not apply to other regions.
      
     Vol. 3, Num. 7, Last Updated : October 24, 1994
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     TOPIC: A New Ladybug!
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
          *Harmonia* is again making its present felt around
     Corvallis and, I suspect, elsewhere in western Oregon. If
     you're not familar with our newest arrival, read on.
          In the mid-1980's a lady beetle named *Harmonia
     axyridis*, the Asian Lady Beetle, was intentionally introduced
     into this country from Japan by U.S. scientists because it is a
     good predator of the aphids that feed in trees. Our native
     ladybugs are not particularly fond of tree-feeding aphids as
     anyone with a birch, tulip, maple or oak tree knows. By mid-
     summer these trees are usually dripping with aphid
     honeydew.
          In the East the new lady beetle has been doing a bang-
     up job controlling aphids in pecan orchards and is spreading
     up and down the east coast. Pecan farmers are reaping the
     benefits of this natural enemy of the pecan aphid. We hope
     that our filbert and cherry growers will likewise benefit, as
     will our shade tree growers.
          This ladybug comes in many different color forms. Most
     commonly, the beetle is orange with black spots (as many as
     nineteen black spots!) or it may be black with four red spots
     at the corners. The larvae are a distinctive black, white and
     yellow.
          So far we believe that *Harmonia* is limited to western
     Oregon, perhaps venturing as far south as Medford. It was
     originally released in the west in Washington State.
          Now for a little background. Most native western
     ladybugs spend winter months in the foothills of the Cascade,
     Coast Range or Sierra Nevada Mts. In the spring they leave
     their winter homes to return to the valley to lay the eggs that
     begin the next generation. Many generations may be produced
     each spring and summer but the final adults always return to
     the foothills.
          All this is true for our native species. However,
     *Harmonia* is different. Our new ladybug prefers to remain
     in the valley all winter, often congregating in large numbers
     in attics, barns, sheds, anywhere that's dry and relatively
     dark. On warm, late-winter days the beetles may become
     active and fly to windows.
          This "wintering-in-the valley" behavior has resulted in a
     flood of calls to Extension, also news media attention, and
     general pandemonium. Some people have asked about
     controlling beetles that get into their house. First of all, they
     will do no harm. Their droppings can be messy, especially
     early in the fall when they first enter the building and they
     have an odor that may be objectionable. They will not
     reproduce indoors, they won't feed on anything, and will
     leave in the spring if given the chance. What's more, your
     yard trees will be forever grateful. However, if you're still
     determined to get rid of them use a vacuum cleaner or
     Shopvac. There are no insecticides that can be legally used
     against lady beetles.

Ladybug Masses Bad News For Aphids

Contact:  Dr. Allen Knutson, (214) 231-5362
               Bill Ree, (409) 845-6800

Writer:   Mary M. Porter, (214) 231-5362

  DALLAS -- Reports of ladybugs gathering in large masses on
buildings and in attics is very good news for gardeners fighting
aphids, say Texas A&M entomologists in both Dallas and College
Station.

   "This newly-arrived species, Harmonia axyridis, is a friendly
insect that feeds on aphids in roses, crape myrtles and other
ornamentals, as well as pecan trees," said Dr. Allen Knutson, Dallas
entomologist with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. "This
is the time of year they gather in a cool, protected place for the
winter," Knutson said.  "We've had reports throughout the North and
Central Texas corridor from the southern tip of Texas and north into
Oklahoma."

  "There's no cause for alarm," said Bill Ree, Extension entomologist
in College Station. "They don't bite, sting, eat wood or carry
disease.  In fact, one pecan farmer told me he'd cut a hole in his
attic if that would assure they'd stay over and eat aphids in his
trees next spring."

  They've been sighted in the greatest numbers in Northeast and
Central Texas where one county Extension office received more than a
hundred calls.

  The Harmonias are similar in size to other common ladybugs but
distinctive in appearance because of white markings around the eyes
that look like goggles.  Their color varies from light orange to the
familiar deep red and there may be no spots or as many as 18.

  "They will hibernate in an attic or other protected place until
spring and then depart to feed on aphids," Knutson said. "Their
leaving won't be nearly as dramatic as their arrival. We believe the
benefits in controlling aphids and other insect pests far outweigh
any nuisance factor in their overwintering habits."

  Knutson also speculated that their increase is a natural occurrence
resulting from the presence of many aphids in pecans this past year.
They are moving into areas of Texas where they can find a ready food
supply.

  "We documented their presence in Texas two years ago, and now we
see them reaching a critical mass.  We've had no reports of people
being concerned or scared, just curious about them.  And that's the
right response.  Their being here is good news."

  To prevent their becoming a nuisance inside the house, Knutson
advised caulking cracks and, should they intrude into your home,
using a vacuum to remove them.

Kathleen (Kate) Davis
Texas A&M University
Agricultural Communications -- News
203 Reed McDonald
College Station, Texas 77843-2112

409-845-2872       F-409-845-2414
[email protected]
.

From [email protected] Sun Oct 30 00:57:03 EDT 1994
Article: 1052 of triangle.gardens
Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!inxs.ncren.net!taco.cc.ncsu.edu!ent1.ent.ncsu.edu!mwaldvog
From: [email protected] (Michael Waldvogel)
Newsgroups: triangle.gardens
Subject: Re: Swarms of ladybugs?
Date: 24 Oct 1994 23:38:25 GMT
Organization: Dept. of Entomology - NCSU, Raleigh, NC
Lines: 52
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
References: <[email protected]>
NNTP-Posting-Host: ent1.ent.ncsu.edu
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4

[email protected] (Annette R. Tharpe) writes:
:  
: Hi,
:  
: This weekend at my mom's house I observed what appeared to be a swarm
: of ladybugs.  They are small round orange to red bugs with black dots.
: A friend says that there is another bug that is sometimes confused with
: ladybugs, so I am not sure what they were.  I know that ladybugs are  
: beneficial insects but wasn't sure about the other bug.  Anyone know  
: anything about this?  It was fascinating to watch them.

The critters you're seeing are called "multicolored Asian Lady Beetles".
For you more trivia-minded, they scientific name is *Harmonia axyridis*.
They come from Japan and were released by the USDA in several southern
states (not NC) and in the northeast back in 1978-82.  They have a particular
fondness for aphids inhabiting trees, although they have also been found
in agricultural crops, including cotton.  Most of our reports of large
swarms have originated from the mountains, east towards Greensboro.

Although, they are beneficial, many people consider them to be a nuisance.
At this time of the year, they swarm in numbers sometimes exceeding 10K.   
They are attracted to bright, light-colored surfaces, such as the sides
of houses (or cars).   In Japan, they pass the winter in crevices along
rock ledges.  Here, they settle for crawling under house siding, foundation,
attic and soffit vents.  They can make a nuisance of themselves all winter.   
I have had callers describe to me how their ceilings were covered with the  
beetles - in February.  My advice has been to suck them up in a vacuum  
cleaner and deposit them back outdoors, preferably near rocks or logs which  
they can use as cover.  Unfortunately, this suggestion has won me nothing  
but grief from irate callers and threats to have vacuum cleaner bags
filled with beetles shipped to my office.  Another option is to simply apply  
an insecticide about once per week wherever the beetles may show up, which is  
about every square foot of your house (inside and outside).  This will kill  
lots of beetles and possibly even qualify your house as an EPA superfund site  
sometime in the future.  :)

One notable aside - there is a parasitic fly killing off somewhere between  
3-30% of the beetles in some areas.


Once last thing, although the beetles were released by the government, I have
been assured that the swarms have absolutely nothing to do with the
disappearance of Agent Scully.   :)


--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
| Michael Waldvogel | INTERNET: [email protected] |
|-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-|
| NCSU-Entomology, Box 7613, Raleigh NC 27695-7613      |
| Voice: (919) 515-2703        FAX: (919) 515-7746      |
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


.

    In the past if I found 1-2 ladybugs for the entire summer anywhere 
    in my house that was alot.  Last weekend I found 5-6 in my family 
    room.  Did they find themselves a nice place to hide for the winter.  
    Should I expect finding more?  Has anyone had a problems with them?
    
    Linda  

See note 4900.

    Thank you!
    

    
    Once again I find myself in this string, since my house has once again
    become the Ladybug Hilton of Central Mass.  I remove and/or kill
    between 500 and 1000 in my house each day, and there seems to be no end
    in sight.  I have talked to Tower Hill Botanical Gardens, The New
    England Science Center, and Orkin exterminators, and no one has a
    solution.
    
    However, I heard that Bruce Schwoegler (sp?) the weather guy on Channel
    4 did a brief segment on ladybugs last night.  Did anyone happen to see
    it?  I'm wondering if he had any helpful hints, or maybe a prediction
    as to when the influx will stop.
    
    Why no one has invented a ladybug trap, similar to a Japanese beetle
    trap, I don't know.  I do know that if anyone ever comes up with a
    solution as to how to keep these things out of people's houses, they
    could make a fortune off me and others that I've talked to with similar
    populations of ladybugs.
    

    Lynne-
    
     How are they entering your house? Schwoegler said that they are
    looking for a warm place to winter and find crevices which source heat.
    In this way, they help the homeowner to find heat leaks, which can then
    be eliminated (thus saving on heating bills.)

    
    I also have a lady bug problem but not as severe as Lynne's. I
    have an old vacuum that I use specifically for lady bugs. I vacuum
    them up then take them outside and let them go. I'm positive they come
    in through the windows as the house is over 100 years old and the
    landlord keeps promising t replace them but hasn't. So they have the
    space to crawl in, hopefully they'll go away soon.
    
    Walt

I've only spotted five in our house so far.  My wife says she wishes we'd
find more, as it indicates that the ladybugs are present in our garden.

				Steve

    
    The seem to be entering in that teeny space between the chimney and the
    clapboards (I have no idea how to seal that up...), and also through
    the windows.  We're talking CLOSED and LOCKED windows.  First they get 
    in between the screen and glass, and then somehow get past the glass.
    They must need only an incredibly small space.  Our house is only
    6 years old, and extremely weather tight (or so I always thought).
    
    I have been vacuuming them, and when it gets really bad, I have
    sprayed them with a flying insect  killer on occasion.  But I really
    don't like to do that.  Orkin recommended flea-bombing the house once
    they stop coming inside (if that ever happens!)  I am not crazy about
    doing that, but I'm considering it because last winter we had active
    ladybugs in the house all winter, and the problem wasn't nearly as bad
    as it is this year.
    
    Did Schwoegler say when they expect them to go away?
    I also am afraid that my hose is on some kind of migration path or
    something, and that these little buggers and their offspring are going
    to find my house every year.
    
    The Science Center said that it might be like the gypsy moth thing of
    a few years ago. HE said that in a couple of years, we may never see
    another ladybug.  One can only hope....
    
    -Lynne
    

    
    We too are inundated with ladybugs and we like it.
    We had em last year and they just spent the winter and moved on.
    
    							Hank

    
    Interesting that I see this note.  Last weekend I noticed that
    every window on the south side of my house had about 20 lady
    bugs between the screen and the window.  We took the screens
    down to shake them out.  I don't know what we'll do if they
    come in the house.  Our house is only 6 years old so I expect
    it to be sealed so they can't get in.  We'll see what happens...
    

    	Weird !!! I have a 25+ year old house and have never had any sort
    of lady bug problem. We see them outside once in a while, but rarely do
    we see them inside.
    
    	Maybe they do have some sort of migration path that you're in the
    way of. Do your immediate neighbors all have the same problem ?
    
    	Ray
    

    re -.1
    
    Last year, only the houses in our neighborhood that were gray or blue
    had the problem.  This year, is is more wide-spread, and I'm hearing
    of it from other people in town (Sterling) as well as in Leominster.
    
    On the up-side, yesterday, we probably only got 400-500, which was
    about half what we've gotten the previous 2 days.  I can only hope
    this is the start of a downward trend.

Wow, its the plague of lady-bugs.  We've never had them before but this year
they're all over the place.  I checked with my neighbors and they have them too.
House colors, hum, doesn't seem to matter to the buggers in our neighborhood;
Westborough, MA.  Fortunately, they're just swams outside.  We've only seen a
few inside and they must be sneaking in with the kids ;-).

    	My house is gray as well. Like I said, the migration path theory
    sounds about the most logical. I never realized when this was first
    mentioned how many you people were getting. I was thinking a couple dozen
    per day, not a few hundred or more.
    
    	Ray

    Migration path MIGHT start the process, but scent is what compounds it.
    The first few give off an odor which attracts the rest. Which in turn
    give off more odor which attracts even more. Which in turn........

    
    We too started getting ladybugs last year & their back again this
    year as well. I decided to go into the attic during the dead of winter
    last year because they were still in the house & was amazed when I
    looked in the corner of the attic where I suspected a few to still
    be & found a massive clump of them. (Should of taken a picture). I
    quickly scooped them into a coffee can & got rid of them. Needless to
    say that there back again so I need to inspect the house again to see
    where they are getting in from. I can't do that while the sun is
    shining on the house because they're flying all over the place. It's
    really something to see.
    
    BTW - I painted my house from a dark brown to a cape cod grey color
    	  last year & that's when the problem seemed to start. Never had
    	  them before.
     
                                             

    Wow, glad I'm not the only one!  I also have about 20 ladybugs on each
    window.  This only started about two weeks ago.  Our house is brand
    new, and it's also grey.
    
    I'd rather have ladybugs than gypsy moth caterpillars!
    
    Carol.

    This is my second year in "the lady bug zone". Last week it was 
    "They're Back!".

    I subscribe to the theory that there is a new burgeoning species.
    The ladybugs that we get are always brown or burnt orange and not 
    the bright-friendly red I consider the usual ladybug color. There is
    a note back in one of these ladybug topics about new varieties of 
    ladybugs on the loose, with no natural enemies. 

    Kevin 

    Our house is also brand new (6 months) and Cape Cod grey.
    
    We've got them flying around, and some have  managed to get in.
    I think mostly they are on the door and when I go in, they go
    in with me.
    
    I've been vacuuming them up if I find them.  The dog gets pissed
    off when they end up in her water dish.  
    
    It's not just us either...houses in the development range from dark
    hunter green to yellow to blue to brown.  Everyone has them.  The
    yellow house seems to get them the most, though we've got tons of them
    too.  Our upstairs is unfinished so I guess this weekend I'll go up
    there and see how many of the little devils are up there....
    
    Our development is bordering wetlands so I don't know if this has
    anything to do with them or not.  They are also the burnt orange color
    and not the bright red.  They don't bother me unless I step on one and
    it crunches...I hate that sound.

>    I've been vacuuming them up if I find them.  The dog gets pissed
>    off when they end up in her water dish.  

How does the dog exhibit being "pissed off"? Just had to ask, because
I have this image of the pooch stamping around, cussing, etc...

I'm in the midst of a color change: from brown to "lambswool" (greyish-
bluish), and have hordes of the things around. Its really a pain while
painting, as they seem to like to drop into the paint bucket, or smear
themselves and get stuck on the wet paint.

What's worse: I suspect they have been whats attracting some
woodpeckers over the last few weeks. Anyone know if woodpeckers
eat ladybugs? One side of my house has about 12 small holes, where they
pecked down to the tyvek. This is the side with the highest ladybug
population.

I hung a plastic inflatable snake out a nearby window for now... is
there anything else I can do?

Was there any major ban on a pesticide (or some other substance) in this area
within the last few years that might have been keeping the lady bug population
low?  With such a pesticide no longer in use, perhaps the lady bug population is
exploding?

Of course, this would have to have been something that commercial exterminators,
lawn care-takers, farmers, etc ... use to have any real impact on the whole area
... not just some off-the-shelf product.

Just a theory,

Rob

    I have a 75 yr old white Colonial.  We don't get nearly the number some
    poeple mentioned in this note but I counted over 10 at the kitchen door
    (back of the house) and about 5 in the bathroom window.  Both the
    bathroom and the kitchen receive the most sunlight.  When the sun goes
    down no lady bugs can be found.  We have not had any in the attic or in
    the upstairs windows that are on the same side as the kitchen or
    downstairs bathroom.  I just let them go about their merry way.....
    and let the dog get 'em  :-).

>    They are also the burnt orange color
>    and not the bright red.  

A friend with an infestatioon said she checked and they aren't
actually ladybugs, they are "pumpkin seed beetles."
The two species would seem to be closely related, because the story is the same
as it would be for ladybugs - they offer no danger or damage, just sweep 
or vacuum them up and release them outside, where they will help keep other
pests in line (unlikely at this time of year, however, but let 'em
out to hibernate or breed or whatever).

- tom]

    
    I've seen more ladybugs this year then any other.  We get him in our
    white horse trailer windows all the time now - we never did before.  I
    also have them all around my bran new red cedar siding. It is primed
    gray at the moment.
    
    Louisa

They are ladybugs, or at least a relative, and have the same beneficial
qualities as the traditional ladybug.  As others say, sweep them out and
be glad they're around.

				Steve

    I caught Dick Albert (weatherman on ch 5 in Boston) the other day
    talking about ladybugs.  He said the reason we have so many poping
    up right now is due to the warm fall weather we've been having.
    
    They'll disappear as soon as the first frost hits.
    
    Carol.

    I'd been noticing this string on ladybugs as I checked the new notes
    here in Home Work,  but I thought nothing of it because I live in the
    Northwest. This weekend, though, we had hundreds of ladybugs all over
    the back (sunny side) of our house. They were only in the air within a
    few yards of the house, but mostly they were all over the house itself.
    Couldn't open the basement door without brushing a dozen off it, and
    still some got inside. They're between the windows and screens on that
    side of the house too. They're everywhere, they're everywhere!

A local radio station (WZLX) mentioned the ladybug invasion a couple
times this AM.  They mentioned 2 possibilities, one was the Asiatic
lady beetle, introduced into the US, and with no natural enemies has
been growing in numbers.  The other was the pumpkinseed beetle.
Apparently these things run in 12 year cycles (like cicadas), and
droughts are good for them numberwise.

They said they should be vacuumed, not broomswept as sweeping them
causes them to bleed, emitting a foul odor.

-Mike

    Hi,
    
    We've also had hoardes of lady bugs this year! - in our camp in
    Pittsburg, NH - it's painted a deep "redwood" red.  When we were last
    there over Columbus Day weekend, we were also plagued with cluster
    flies!  Although they don't really bother with people, its' distressing
    to have them around.  We read in a local paper up there, that one house
    had the cluster flies so bad, that they set off the motion-detecting
    security alarm!  All things considered, I'll take the lady bugs  8^}
    We plan on checking out whatever the Colebrook Agway sells for cluster
    flies on our next trip up - that'll probably knock out whatever lady
    bugs that haven't moved on, too.
    
    /Diane

There was an article in the New York Times Science section (every Tuesday) a 
week or two ago about the ladybugs.  They are called pumpkin bugs, due to 
their color and the time of year they show up.  They are harmless, eat lots
of bad things, but will stain light colored backgrounds and stink fairly 
badly if crushed.  They are attracted to light backgrounds and definitely
swarm.  They recommended vacumming them up in a clean bag and maybe storing the
bag in a cool place till the warmer weather comes around and they may
be more useful.  (or maybe someone in here recommended that one...)  Interesting
to see a whole article on it after reading about peoples problems in here.
So far I've only seen one, but then we have a reddish/orange colored house.

PeterT

    This morning I noticed many (30? 40?) bugs hanging out on
    the house siding near doors and windows.  They don't look
    like ladybugs, but they are in the same locations where the 
    September-October ladybugs have been in the past.

    They are about the same length, but not as round. They are
    elongated about 1/16" thick.  1/8 - 3/16" long.  Various
    shades of brown.  

    They aren't moving around much. They just cling there. When
    I go to touch one, they seem to jump away more than fly away.
    They are not too fast.  I think I could get them before they 
    jump (if I wanted to).

    I was looking for wings or spots but couldn't discern anything.
    I did notice that their back legs are longer than their
    front legs.

    Anyone else seen these or know what they might be?

Japanese Beetles?

    Does anyone know how to get rid of earwigs ? They generally are out in
    the damp weather, and unfortunately, I can't do anything about the 
    dampness in the place... is there anything you can do to ward off these
    creatures ?