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Vegetable Gardening

Lady Bugs

14 years ago

When I am in my garden, I feel blessed to see all the bugs doing their thing. I have wasps, bees, assassin bugs, and lady bugs. It's hard to find a pest bug. Then I remember that the lady bugs are a blessing during the summer, but a pest come fall.

Some years ago, the USDA started attempting to introduce a non native, Asian lady bug to the US. They were unable to get them to reproduce and start colonies for many years because in their native environment they over wintered in small crevices in cliffs. We don't have many cliffs on most farms. A few years ago, an introduced colony in Georgia over wintered and started to increase. They now are a summer blessing and a fall pest in many areas of the central US. They consume many pest insects (aphids) during the summer, but when the weather starts cooling; they start looking for a cliff. Since no cliffs are available, they settle on the next best thing. It seems our upright homes and buildings with little crevasses are good enough if no cliffs are available. Do a google search for "lady bug invasion". For about two weeks in the fall, my wife carries a broom and dustpan all around the house near doors and windows sweeping them up. They squeeze into the tight areas around doors and windows and then swarm into the house when the door is opened. They also bite pretty aggressively. The USDA claims they do not bite. They say it is simply a skin reaction to a chemical they deposit when they feel threatened. I'm smart enough to know when something bites me and hangs on.

I guess you can call them a blessing and a curse.

Ted

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Comments (5)

hatchjon
14 years ago
I'd more likely call it a blessing and a minor nuisance. Lady bugs congregate at my windows in the fall and many do get inside; I just let them go about their business and they quickly hide themselves away. Besides hanging out they don't seem to cause any harm to the house or me. Of course, I've never been bitten or had any type of reaction to them either.
Perhaps the variety you have down there is different? I've seen the Asian type here in Maine as well as the "regular ones" and have had them crawling on me with no problems.
Maybe you're just really tasty Ted!

Jon
0
docmom_gw
14 years ago
I grew up in a old farm house with plenty of crevices. My mom still lives there, and there are still Lady Bugs in all the windows and doors. They join us in the shower on occassion, but are just a part of life.

Martha
0
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Karen Pease
14 years ago
Well, you can use that opportunity to seal the cracks in your house :) It'll do double-duty, lowering your heating/cooling bills as well.

You probably won't be able to seal up every last crack, but any that you do will be a good thing. :)
0
bagardens (Ohio, Zone 5b)
14 years ago
We always get them in our house, but they do not really bother me. I am use to them by now and have not had one bite me either, that I know of. They do really bug my dog though. He likes chasing things that move and when they bounce around by the light he goes crazy and tries to catch it. It is even worse when a moth gets in the house, he could spend forever staring up at the ceiling wishing he could get it.
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justaguy2
14 years ago
I have heard they bite, but I have lots of them overwinter in my house, particularly the bathrooms (probably due to the higher humidity) and have handled plenty of them and have never been bitten.
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