As temperatures begin to fall,
humans aren’t the only ones heading indoors. Lady
beetles are unwelcome houseguests in many people’s
homes.

“They’re searching for
protected
sites to spend the winter,” said Kristine Braman, an
entomologist
with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and
Environmental
Sciences.

“They’re native to Asia,
where they overwinter on rock walls,” Braman said.
“Here
they have to settle for the sides, walls and ceilings of houses
and buildings.”

Don’t Kill Them

Cute as they are, your first
instinct
may still be to pick up the nearest can of pesticide. But, CAES
researchers urge you to think first before you spray.

Asian lady beetles, or ladybugs,
were brought into the United States in the late 1970s by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture to help fight a major pest of the pecan
industry.

“These lady beetles were
introduced to help fight the aphid populations on our state’s
pecan trees,” Braman said. “Aphids feed on the foliage
of pecan trees, crape myrtles, roses and other ornamentals. Our
native lady beetles aren’t as fond of tree-feeding aphids, so
they don’t do as good a job controlling them.”

Great Aphid Controllers

Braman says the ladybugs are
extremely
effective at controlling the aphids biologically, which reduces
the need for pesticides.

You still may not take kindly
to having them hanging around your house. But, unlike many pests,
lady beetles don’t bite, sting or carry human diseases. And they
don’t feed on wood, clothing or food items.

Braman doesn’t suggest trying
to take them out one-by-one. “If you try to pick them up,
it causes them stress,” she said, “and they excrete
a yellow fluid, which can stain your carpet, walls and
furnishings.”

Vacuum Them Up

The easiest way to get rid of
ladybugs is to suck them up in a hand-held vacuum and then take
them outside.

“You can also just sweep
them out,” said Braman, who actually has a few in her house
right now. “I’ve known people who had so many in their house
they had to use a shop vac to get them out.”

If you use a standard vacuum
cleaner
to remove the lady beetles, be sure to use the hose attachment.
Just slip a knee-high stocking over the hose and secure it with
a rubber band. When you’ve sucked up all the lady beetles, turn
off the vacuum, tie off the stocking with the rubber band and
release the ladybugs outside.

If chasing bugs with a vacuum
doesn’t suit you, you may want to try one of the new lady
beetle traps.

How They Get In

A vacuum, broom or trap may help
you get them out, but you’ll have to do a little detective work
to keep them out.

“They come in through cracks
in walls, around air vents and around windowsills,” Braman
said. “You’ll need to search for their mode of entry and
apply caulking.”

Taking the extra steps necessary
to seal these entry ways is also a good idea for saving energy,
too, she said.