Where Are All These Lady Bugs Coming From?

Do you have lady bugs everywhere? Are you crunching them under your feet? Are they staining your curtains or walkway? Are they crawling all over your screens? If you have a garden, you might be content to deal with a few of these little pests crawling around because lady bugs and their babies eat plant damaging aphids by the truckload. But for most homeowners, lady bugs are a mess to clean up and a general eyesore. So, where are these bugs coming from, and why are they targeting your home?

In fall, this normally solitary bug, begins to cluster together with other lady bugs. This is mostly because they're looking to get warm. But it is also because they are drawn to the pheromones those other lady bugs give off when they begin this behavior. It is as if those pheromones are saying, "Come on in and cuddle!"

Lady bugs group under leaf canopies, rocks, forest debris, tall grass, bark, and anywhere else that will shield them from the cold wind. A particularly favorable spot is under the siding of your home. They have a propensity to gather on bright colored walls that hold the heat from the sun. If they gathered on a sun-warmed wall of your house last fall, it was only natural for them to squeeze into available gaps as the temperatures continued to drop.

Okay. If they were already in my house, why are they still trying to get in?

Lady bugs get confused. They're looking for the optimal temperature, and it may be warmer inside your home when they first begin to get active. If you do find them in your home, vacuum them up and throw them out with the bag.

Once the interior of your home is free of lady bugs, you can try these tips to keep them from coming back in.

• Make sure all of your screens are in good shape. Lady bugs are notorious for squeezing through screen holes.

• Inspect your windows and doors for any gaps, and use a caulking gun to fill them.

• Be sure you don't have any openings around conduit, utility wires, outlets, air conditioning units, or pipes.

• Put up light traps in your attic and basements spaces. It is important that you put them in dark areas, so they will be effective.

Lady bugs don't bite. Generally. And they aren't poisonous. They're just a nuisance pest. If you do the above steps, it should be easier to manage them.

If you're looking to get lady bugs to stop targeting your home altogether, and you want to keep them from crawling on your exterior walls and screens, you will need the assistance of a professional pest technician. It is worth a call, especially if you're having trouble completely sealing your walls or they're inside your wall voids. A professional can help you fix that and make your home a lady bug free zone. It is so worth it.