LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — Ladybugs in disguise-actually called Asian Lady Beetles-are swarming homes across our viewing area.

These beetles are sometimes called ‘Halloween Beetles,” because they tend to invade homes in October, as the weather cools down and they look for a place to spend the winter.

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If you have these in your home, you’re not alone. Cooperative Extension agent Scott Baker says it’s extremely common this time of year, they’re just looking for somewhere warm to live.

Baker said they’ve been around for a long time and they actually do some good when they’re not in our homes.

“It’s a similar species to the more native ladybug that people are most familiar with,” Baker said. “They spend most of the year, or at least the growing season, outside feeding on insects like aphids. So, they’re actually beneficial when they stay outside.”

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He said they tend to come in clusters, so when you find one, there are often more.

Baker said that people with light-colored homes could be more prone to the invasion.

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“Oftentimes what you see is that people with a light colored or a white house, they’ll congregate on these cool days, especially if there’s a lot of sunlight on that end of the house, and it’ll just be covered in them,” he said.

He said they’re drawn to the warmth of light-colored homes as they reflect sunlight.

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If you don’t have them in your home yet, Baker said there are things you can do to keep them out.

“They don’t need much of a crack to get in,” he said. “There are things they can do. None of them are going to be 100% effective, but certainly if there are any obvious cracks that people can seal up, like in window sills, or if they’ve got door jams that the weather stripping has gone bad.”

He also recommends a pesticide spray for outdoor use.

“Those folks that are having a really bad problem, they can get perimeter sprays of an insecticide that are labeled for that use at pretty much any lawn and garden store,” he said. “That can help, but nothing is 100% effective. If folks implement that integrated strategy, they usually will have better success.”

If you already have them inside, Baker says they’re just a nuisance, not a danger in any way.

“They’re not a structural pest. They’re not going to breed and increase population once they’re in the home, they’re basically just looking for a place to spend the winter,” he said. “Oftentimes you’ll find them dead throughout the winter because we keep our homes at lower humidity than what they can stand, so they basically just dry up and die.”

Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: WHY