Attack of the Ladybugs!

UPDATE: Our news article is now up and our video is shown below.

UPDATE: Thanks for the comments; yes, they may actually be beetles, not ladybugs; we'll explain that in our article.

Our News Department is working on an article explaining the relationship between weather and the recent ladybug infestations that are a topic of frequent conversation around the water cooler and Twitter. If you have photos or video of your ladybug infestations, upload them to our Photo Gallery and we may use them in our article.

I uploaded the photo above to Facebook last week when hundreds of ladybugs started inundating my house, clustering around windows and lights. People say that they come inside when it gets cold, but these seemed to come out days after our early season snow, when it got rapidly warm outside. When we post our article later this week I'll quote it further here. Meanwhile, leave me a Comment here or on Facebook to tell your stories about ladybugs. Thanks for your help!

Comments (13): Jeff:

I own a small pest control company located in South Central PA., and the ladybugs are good money for us. They hit hard here about 10 day's ago and I cannot dispatch trucks fast enough. The good news is that lady bugs are called TRUE bugs and like the Brown Mommarated Stink bug and the Boxelder Bug they overwinter as an adult. They will be with you all winter no matter how much snow or cold we get. So, plenty of work.

Posted by Jeff | October 27, 2009 7:19 AM Frank Strait:

Jesse,

I have yet to have any problem with ladybugs or those beetles since moving up here, but they were terrible at the place I lived in Asheville while going to school there. They would swarm around my front porch each fall and many would find their way into my living room. Those that would sneak into my living room would sometimes number over a hundred per day. I'd usually round them up when I arrived home from work or school in the evening and I'd usually have to deal with at least a few more just before bed. They would produce an awful smell when one would wander into my hot lamp and get burned up by it! The pest control companies that I called told me there wasn't much they could do about them once they started swarming like that.

Posted by Frank Strait | October 26, 2009 10:19 PM DavePa:

They are back again. Every year they congregate, I think, searching for a warm winter rest. This year has been the largest Lady convention yet. Some repair work was needed on the deck, the Ladies would not leave me alone, they were really bugging me. They were buzzing around my ears and sitting all over my body, they even followed me in the house (several times). The Ladies have moved on, although a few have moved in. They really are quite interesting to observe. Now if I can get this crazy cardinal to stop attacking my front window, this has been going on for 5 days (since my Uncle passed away), the bird sits in the tree several feet from the window, then lunges into the glass, pecking and tweeting, from sunup to sundown.

Posted by DavePa | October 26, 2009 9:32 PM Dennis:

i live up in herkimer county in new york state and this year they are very thick..just a thought maybe because there is a coming plague for them natures way as to make sure their is plenty, or maybe last year up here the winter was really hard so this spring the doubled up for the ones that died winter came quick last year quick even for up here. with back to back storms then a heavy frezze. then a wet spring and summer.its the same for ants this year they have ant hills everywhere

Posted by Dennis | October 26, 2009 7:32 PM James:

Here in central Ontario, the Asian lady beetles started appearing about 12 years ago after a summer with a heavy aphid infestation. It was rumoured that they were released to combat the aphid infestation. Every year since that initial appearance, they perk up during October warm spells after brief cold snaps so the loss of that food source does seem to create a reason for them to start seeking food and shelter for the coming cold season. Some years they number in the thousands on my house and outbuildings trying to seek shelter. They are a nuisance as they do give off an odour when threatened and do bite. However, this year they are not as plentiful in these parts as in years past.

Posted by James | October 26, 2009 6:43 PM Janet:

Yes, you guessed it, we experiences a swarm of ladybugs all over the outside of our house last week as well. Where are they coming from? Janet Jeffersonville, NY

Posted by Janet | October 26, 2009 4:06 PM Mike:

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/10/nj_residents_report_swarms_of.html

Jesse,they were in my home last week,I have a white front door I think they came in through the mail slot!! I used a wisk broom to trap them then shake em out into a bag..

Mike...

Posted by Mike | October 26, 2009 3:57 PM Peggy:

In Wisconsin, we are told the beetles live in the soybeans eating aphids. When the soybeans dry and are harvested, the beetles start looking for a winter hangout and head for my house. A cold snap shuts them down, apparently in their "tracks" and then a warm spell gets them moving again. I believe they give off a scent to others when they find a way in as an attractant. They somehow get in our utility room and are drawn to that corner of the house by the thousands. We found one opening, but still they come, but not getting in anymore. They are messy and smell bad.

Posted by Peggy | October 26, 2009 3:09 PM Tracy:

Jesse,

I live in the Piedmont of North Carolina and we discovered a ladybug infestation 3 years ago when we moved into our new house. My office gets the afternoon sun and the first October after we moved in, I had hundreds of ladybugs in my office. We contacted an exterminator and he said he could not do anything about the ladybugs because they are protected (not exactly sure why....but that's what he told us). For about two weeks each fall, I have to take a vacuum cleaner extension and get rid of all the ladybugs. My office is the only room in the house that has the problem (which is even more strange). I noticed the ladybugs started coming out again at the end of last week, so I guess they are back for their annual fall visit. Please let us know if you find out more information! Thank you!

Posted by Tracy | October 26, 2009 2:11 PM Larry:

Are they the Asian beetle?They been here in Minnesota for at least 6 years right after a cool spell in the fall they seem to come out so far this year I have not seen that many but some previous years you could not even go out side and they come back in the spring to go back out.They get in to every thing.

Posted by Larry | October 26, 2009 1:02 PM ISpy:

In the midwest we have "asian beetles" every fall, they look like ladybugs but are orange, some years they are in the millions.

Posted by ISpy | October 26, 2009 12:38 PM Diane:

About 20 years ago, in northeast Washington state there was a lady bug infestation. They were actually eating the alfalfa crops. They got mean and would bite. They would gather at the roots of trees by the thousands at night. You could smell them as you approached the tree. It was really bazzar. There were reports published in the Colville, WA paper if you would like to check for accuracy and weather conditions.

Posted by Diane | October 26, 2009 12:12 PM Eric:

Good point Jesse. I have seen dozens of ladybugs since the weather got warm again. I'd love to know what causes this problem.

Posted by Eric | October 26, 2009 11:47 AM