They are absolutely AWFUL this year! Worst I have ever seen. Muhammad Khan was awash in phone calls about them on Gardening Today, Sunday. He didnÂt even know that they ÂbiteÂ. Here are some things I learned when I was at Iowa State. 1) They ARE ladybugs, just a different kind. Mostly the Harmonia axyridis, or Asian Lady Beetle. So donÂt spray them!!! They still eat aphids. Even the oneÂs that are orange or donÂt have spots, these are just immature. One guy on Gardening Today was saying you should spray them because they are related to the Mexican Bean Beetle. This is nonsense. The Black-Widow is related to the Garden Spider, but I donÂt spray Garden Spiders. 2) They do not ÂbiteÂ. Instead, they have sharp hooks on their feet, so when they land on you, they dig in, and it feels like a bite. 3) The juveniles live on fruit nectar. So, if you have lots of fruit trees, or like I do, a 100 yo, 40' tall Bradley Pear (where teh fruit rots on the three before I can ever pick it), and huge wild-plum grove, I get a lot of ladybugs. Lots. 4) They are attracted to heat and white. So wear dark colors, if you decide to reside your house, trim the doorways and windows in something darker colored. This will help keep them from Âcreeping in.

Dry White Sage is a natural cheap and cheery ladybug repellent. Here is a recipe from the link listed below Garlic Oil Sprays: Organic gardeners have long been familiar with the repellent or toxic affect of garlic oil on pests. when it is combined with mineral oil and pure soap,as it is in the recipe that follows, devised at the Henry Doubleday Research Association in England, it becomes an effective insecticide. Some studies also suggest that a garlic oil spray has fungicidal properties. Protection Offered: Good results, with quick kill, have been noted against aphids, cabbage loopers, earwigs, June bugs, leafhoppers, sqaush bugs and whiteflies. The spray does not appear to harm adult lady beetles, and some gardeners have found that is does'nt work against the Colorado potaoe beetles, grape leaf skeletonizers, grasshoppers, red ants, or sowbugs. How to Make: Soak 3 ounces of finely minced garlic cloves in 2 teaspoons of mineral oil for at least 24 hours. Slowly add 1 pint of water that has 1/4 ounce liquid soap or commercial insecticide soap mixed into it. Stir thoroughly and strain into a glass jar for storage. use at a rate of 1 to 2 Tablespoons of mixture to a pint of water. If this is effective, try a more dilute solution in order to use as little as possible. How to Use: Spray plants carefully to ensure thorough coverage. To check for possible leaf damage to sensitive ornamentals from the oil and soap in the spray, do a test spray on a few leaces or plants first. If no leaf damage occurs in 2 or 3 days, go ahead and spray more. Pyrethrin The dried, powdered flowers of the pyrethrum daisy, Tanacetum cinerarifolium, were used as early as 1880 to control mosquitoes. The popularity of pyrethrum insecticides waned when synthetic insecticides were introduced, but they are now enjoying a commercial comeback. Many new products formulated with natural pyrethrums are available. Pyrethrins are the insecticidal chemicals extracted from the pyrethrum daisy. Do not confuse them with pyrethroids, the term for a new class of synthetic pesticides. Pyrethrums, which are mainly concentrated in the seeds of the flower head, are a contact insecticide, meaning the insect only has to touch the substance to be affected. Pyrthrins have a quick knockdown effect on insects: Flying insects are paralyzed. pyrethrins can be applied up to one day before harvest because they are quickly destroyed by light and heat and are not persistent in the environment. Pyrthrins will kill lady beetes but do not appear to be harmful to bees. They are toxic to fish and to the aqautic insects and other small animals that fish eat. Pyrethrins do not seem to be toxic to birds or mammals. Protection Offered: Pyrethrins are registered for flowers, fruits, and vegetables, including greenhouse crops. they are effective on many chewing and sucking insects, including most aphids, cabbage loopers, celery leaftiers, codling moth, Colarado potaotoe beetles, leafhoppers, Mexican bean beetles, spider mites, stink bugs, several species of thrips, tomato pinworms, and whiteflies. they are especially good against flies, gnats, mosquitoes, and stored products pests. Flea beetles are not affected, nor are imported cabbageworms, diamondback moths, pear psylla, and tarnished plant bugs. How to Make: If you grow your own pyrethrum daisies, you'll have the main ingredient for a make-it-yourself spray. The concentration of pyrethrums is at its peak when the flowers are in full bloom, from the time the first row of florets open on the central disk opens too the time all the florets are open. pick flowers in full bloom and hang them in a sheltered, dark spot to dry. Once the flowers have dried thoroughly, grind them to afine powder, using a mortar and pestle, old blender or small hammer mill. Mix with water and add a few drops of liquid soap. Store in a glass jar and keep the lid tightly closed, because the mixture looses activity if left open. You'll have to experiment with the amount of water to add, because the concentration of pyrethins in the flowers is an unknown variable. If the spray you make does not seem to kill insects, use less water the next time you make the concentrated spray. Also keep in mind whole flower heads stay potent longer so do not grind until ready to use. How to Use: Pyrethrins are more effective at lower temperatures, so for best results, apply in early evening when temperatures are lower. Spray both the upper and lower surfaces of the leaves, because spray must directly contact the insects such as thrips that hide in leaf sheaths and crevices. The first spray will excite them and bring them out of hiding, the second will kill them. Never use pyrethrin products around waterways and ponds. There are also products available that contain no harmful poisons one is called THE ASIAN LADYBUG TRAP I hope you found this information helpful Best of Luck

I saw your post earlier and did a quick google search on "black ladybugs". I hope someone with much more experience will respond. But just from my search, black ladybugs are similar to what is familiar to us as ladybugs. They prey on other "pests", so are beneficial. There are black lady bugs and the familiar red/orange ones, and there are grey ones too from what I found. So don't act yet until you hear from the more experienced people. You may want to keep these "guests" around. Jennie Jennie

Stephsti, Sorry to hear you had a so-so experience with your Ladybug. I have just spent 4 days renting a LadyBug XL2300 TANCS vapor steam cleaner and have experienced the opposite. I have ceramic tile floors in my office, laundry room, bathrooms, kitchen, dining room and living room and have used traditional cleaning methods for the past 15 years and watched the grout get grungier each year. The amount of chemicals used to try to get my tile clean was rather obscene. The 1st day with the Ladybug was working on the tile floors in the office, laundry room and first bathroom. Although the vapor steam worked well on the tiles and the towels picked up a lot of grime, the pinkish beige colored grout was still dingy looking. It was obvious the vapor steam was making headway on the grout (no other cleaning method had in years) but something else was needed. So I purchased some heavy duty brass brushes and got to work steaming each grout line several times, then scrubbing the grout with the brush and then steaming it again. the dirt just kept coming off. Experiment with the steam volume. Some grout lines needed higher volume to loosen the grime. It took two days & four brass brushes to hand scrub all the grout lines in my house but it was worth it!! The grout and tiles look as new. The shine is incredible and no chemicals were used - just plain old tap water!! I'm in love with my floors again, instead of hiding them under area rugs. I also used the Ladybug to clean my gas cooktop and vent hood. It worked magic on the stainless steel and the greasy grime hiding in the corners is all gone. I steamed my toilets, bathtub, shower, sinks, heat vents, kitchen cabinets, windows, sink drains and the washer & dryer. All look fantastic and feel great to the touch. I found the Ladybug rental place via Yelp and the web. There is no comparison between this vapor steam cleaner and appliances called steam mops or the Shark. I tried both and they were useless on my floors and cooktop. I am 67 years old and although my knees and back are pretty sore right now, I am so pleased with the cleaning ability of this Ladybug, I will probably buy one. I have a rental unit that I would like to unleash this on.