How to Get Rid of Asian Lady Beetles

If you live in rural America, you might well have faced an infestation of Asian lady beetles. These bugs are not native to America. They were brought to America in 1916 but didn’t become a problem until after their introduction to farms in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1988.

The reason they were introduced into a number of locations is because the Asian lady beetle eats soft-bodied arthropods such as scale and aphids. They are so good at keeping aphids under control that the Asian lady beetles actually reduced the need for insecticides. While consuming aphids they do not hurt structures as termites and carpenter ants would. Lady beetles do not chew or bore holes in walls or eat carpet or furniture, neither do they lay their eggs in homes.

Sounds like a good bug to have around then, right? Not when they become pests. Once removed from their native habitat, they were free from their natural enemies and their numbers soared. As soon as the first frost comes, the Asian lady beetles start looking for a winter home meaning they work their way under siding and even into the house. Then when spring comes, their number is even greater.

Adding to the problem, when the beetles are squashed or just agitated, they do something called “reflex bleeding” . A yellow fluid with a bad smell is released from leg joints. This generally keeps the lady beetles from being eaten by birds or other predators. But in the home, the fluid may cause stains on walls and in fabrics.

Once the lady beetles enter the walls of a building through cracks and crevices, they may or may not proceed to the interior of the building. Most stay in the wall spaces.

The warmer temperatures of spring signal the Asian lady beetles and they start to become more active. As they search for an exit, they may end up inside the house and become a pest. The attraction may be the warmer temperatures but it may also the lighting that attracts them.

Because the lady beetles are often attracted to living areas by the light, one entomologist developed a device that uses light to trap the bugs in a removable bag. Thus they can be relocated without the use of insecticides so that the nuisance is gone but the benefits remain.

However, this is a slow process and may be insufficient when they number in the thousands. In this case, a reputable pest control firm is able to spray the entire outside of a building, preferably in September for those living in the north. The Asian lady beetles are controlled, killed and will not set up home in the walls during the winter. Buildings may also be sprayed in the spring, but it is less effective.

Prompt Action is a trusted Wisconsin pest control company that has been in business for 35 years and continues to deliver great results in a timely fashion with integrity. You can find us on the web at http://www.promptactionpest.com/