Are you guys sure these are actually lady bugs??? I saw the picture that was posted and some of those looked like what I call lady bugs, but the elongated oval orange ones don't. I have paid money for them too, but the ones I've ever seen are round and red with variations on the black spot thing. And I've handled tons of them, all my life, and never been bitten by one... I was told by a biologist that they have chewing mouth parts, not piercing ones... All this leads me to think that whatever government official it was who imported these asian ones was bamboozled by the people who lived in its native habitat and brought a plant eating, aphid ignoring, human biting pest into the states! It's not like it hasn't happened before, right?! Our tax dollars at work.

Judith

OK, I found it. Here's the place on the web to go and learn about the different species of lady bugs. Lots of pictures and brief but thorough information.

http://www.uoguelph.ca/~samarsha/lady-beetles.htm
(I'll try and attach a direct link to this post, but in case it doesn't work, you have it typed out here. I'm new at this!)

I was surprised to find that there are so many native to N. America. The species that we buy from catalogues is called Hippodamia Convergens or the Convergent Lady Beetle. The one that's causing such mayhem in this thread is called Harmonia Axyridis, the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle. The biologist who wrote the site was astonished by the reports of them biting people and chewing up plants/fruit etc but Ontario is as overrun with the beasties as all you folks. The swarm hasn't hit us in N.Y. yet because I haven't had any of this happening in my neighborhood. I'll be keeping an eye out for them now, though! If it's in Ontario, it has to be coming this way.

I hope this link helps a little. Know the enemy!

Regards,
Judith

Here is a link that might be useful: University of Guelph, in Ontario, Canada

Never had the beetles bite me, but I have been bitten or stung by the larvae. It's quite a shocker.

We had someone call the office here with loads of lady beetles coming into his house. Our standard recommendation is to (try to!) prevent their entry by sealing up cracks and crevices etc. and then to vacuum those that manage to enter the house. This guy insisted on spraying something inside his house for them. Out of curiosity I asked him how he planned to dispose of the dead lady beetles. He apparently hadn't thought that far in advance. After thinking about it he replied, that something to the effect of "Well, I guess I'd vacuum them. Maybe I won't spray after all."
Non-ladybeetle topic: another caller (____who is allergic to bees___) called and asked how she could get rid of ground nesting bees. She had been out in the yard with what she described as a hand held battery operated bug zapper (it supposedly looks likes a tennis racquet with the battery in the handle) swinging away, trying to reduce their numbers. I may have prevented someone from winning a "Darwin Award" with that call... Never a dull moment.

Colin

I'm new to the site and didn't have time to read through all the messages so forgive me if I ask what someone has already answered. That said, I need help. We just moved to the country and live in an RV temporarily through the winter until we build our house. We are being invaded by ladybugs, and I mean invaded!! They haven't really come inside yet, but outside we can't even walk without getting covered with ladybugs, there are hundreds of them. And sealing up the RV isn't going to work because its an RV and its just not possible. Its still nice weather out so I'd like to be outside but I'm concerned about taking my baby out cuz he'll get covered too. I know they are harmless, but I would just like them to migrate to somewhere other than our porch. Does anyone know of anyway to get them to just move on. I tried vaccuuming them up and I swear they knew what I was doing cuz 10 came at me all at once!

Countrymom,

I know of no way to get rid of the asian ladybugs. They can flatten themselves and crawl through very small crevices. It is probably factual that they are more attracted to light colors but my daughter has them and her home is brown logs. It probably is not factual that any agency of government released them. I doubt that anyone knows for sure how they were released in the U.S. but it was probably accidental.

Last fall they were so bad in one of my fields that we couldn't work in it and had to go to a different field for one day. So far, this fall, we have only a few so maybe something is killing them. As far as I can tell they do absolutely no good. I'm not sure they eat aphids. I do know they will eat fruit, at least in the house in the winter.

As has been posted in this thread they do bite and they stink and they leave orange trails when they crawl. I have sprayed the front of my house, when they congregate on it, with soapy water and killed thousands but more thousands took their places. We can only hope predators will finally control them.

They apparently haven't made it to Calif yet. Lord help us we don't have a winter to freeze their little buns off. Not to worry though, I'm sure our new governor will handle the situation.

Apparently they were intentionally introduced in a number of states. They still are considered beneficial because of all the pest insects they eat and despite the other problems they cause. Here is a compilation of Asian lady beetle websites.

Here is a link that might be useful: Asian Lady Beetle Websites

Ah Yes, we are now getting back into "ladybug season". We have a cabin rental business and I have spent days and days caulking every crevace in one cabin. This year I have sprayed the outside walls of the cabin with "tempoWP" and dusted the crawl space with "delta dust" I've even shot the delta dust inside the house between the wood boards, then caulked between the boards to seal the dust in and HOPEFULLY ladybugs out.

If we get swarmed again I'm bombing the place and sending the bill to the Department of Natural Resources. Remember, these are the folks that also gave the south kudzu and Florida - love bugs. (ARGH!!!!)

jerri

Found this on the web at Ohio State Univerity's website. I read on the USDA_ARS website that it's 100% effective. But now, they are licensing it as opposed to giving away the plans. Looks like around $100. You could probably build something like this pretty easy. But you can google it to find a online seller.

"Trapping. An apparatus to trap flying nuisance insects was recently developed by USDA-ARS scientists. The collection apparatus for lady beetles calls for a 15-inch by 8-inch plastic bag, either with or without an insecticidal pest strip. This bag must be emptied or replaced periodically when it fills with captured insects. A blacklight lamp is recommended for indoor use. Because this trap relies on a light source, it should be used in darkened areas of a structure. "

Here is a link that might be useful: Instructions that come with a purchased trap

I have to admit, I don't really garden at all, but we have a problem with the L.B.'s. I've been living in my apartment for about 2 years now and the last to summers have been really bad. Our apartment is and old house made into a duplex so I think that it would be impossible to seal any cracks or crevices. Anyway, the last two summers have been horrible. Those's L.B.'s are everywhere! The strange part is, they mainly stay only on one wall. They are all over on the inside and outside and you get swarmed with them once you walk out the door. I am dreading this summer because it's only the start of March and i've already had get rid of a few! I've read all the post above and I like the soap and water idea and I plan on trying that this year. Hopefully it works for me as well as you say it does. I used to like lady bugs when I was youmger and now it's gotten to the point where I'm almost afraid of them because of how many times I've been "nipped" by them. I've even started shaking out my clothes and shoes before I put them on. The other day when I did that, one fell out of my jeans! I'm glad I did that because I would have not been a "happy camper" if I would have gotten bit in the butt!
Anyway, I don't want to spread chemicals around to get rid of them so I'm very thankful for the soap and water advice. If anyone else has ideas, just in case, I would be very greatful.

Hope this works!

Oh yea....I forgot to say that I live in Minnesota.

This site is great! I am glad & sorry to hear there are others out there with the same lady bug problems. I too thought lady bugs were cute at one time, until they decided to take residence in my home! Our house is located in a woodsy area & has dark brown siding, so that shoots down the theory that they are only attrached to light colors. I am tired of vacuuming them up since as soon as I put the vacuum away dozens more have replaced what I have already sucked up. I don't want to be cruel to the poor things but am tired of finding them in my drinks, bed clothing etc. I have tried lemon grass oil which seemed to help a little bit, but I couldn't handle the fragrence. I appreciate the information about the water/soap & basil leaves. I have just filled a dish now & will see how it works. Did I also mention that my 6 year old is terrified of the lady bugs? This only adds to our frustration.

I would be LOL-ing too if I hadn;t spent several hours last weekend relocating hundreds from my sun room to my perennial bed only to watch them ALL FLY OFF!

Think my roses will have aphids this spring? I can almost bet on it.

I resent providing shelter for these critters all during the winter months for them to abandon me in the spring just when I want them around.....

Sheesh!

Alexa

If it is any consolation, after about 12 years of lb invasions, we have had far fewer of them this past fall and winter. After years of being invaded by thousands each fall we only had a few hundred this year. So maybe there is hope that natural predators, whatever they may be, are finally reducing the population.

The nuisance ladybugs are an exotic species, Harmonia axyridis. I believe they were brought in as a biological control in the early 1900s to help control some tree pests.

http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/Entomology/courses/en507/papers_2001/mannix.htm

There is a non native aphid out there in abundance, the Aphis nasturtii (Buckthorn Aphid). This exotic aphid is destroying potato crops. It is my understanding, this aphid is now a major portion of the Asian ladybeetleÂs diet. The aphid overwinters on buckthorn. It would be my suggestion to get rid of any buckthorn you can get your hands on. Buckthorn is an exotic invasive anyway and is out competing native flora and destroying forest understories.

Perhaps I am oversimplifying the situation butÂ
If we collectively eliminate the over wintering habitat of the Aphis nasturtii (Buckthorn Aphid), which is Rhamnus (Buckthorn), this aphid species will not enjoy the same survival rate as in subsequent years. This would result in less chemicals used to control the destruction of our potato crops. This would also result in a decreased food source for the Harmonia axyridis (Asian Ladybeetle) which in turn would substantially reduce its numbers thus restoring balance.

http://collections.ic.gc.ca/potato/scitech/a_buckthorn.asp

Do not feel bad about eradicating buckthorn as it is the direction we need to go anyway-

http://f00.middlebury.edu/BI140A/Student%20Projects/buckthorn_report.html

Just my pea brain thoughts on why we are currently plagued by these non native Asian ladybeetles. My home is pretty well sealed off yet we have one bathroom that they somehow manage to get into and I swear we can hear crunching sounds when we walk in there particularly in the fall. I suck them up with a vacuum. I had a butterfly house that housed everything but butterflies. I found these tan Asian Ladybeetles in that butterfly house by the thousands. I dumped them in the garbage can and was able to go back a few times to "empty" the contents. They seem to congregate in fall and they gravitate to the same places for some reason. Makes them all the easier to get if you know where they are going.

Many communities began aggressively eradicating buckthorn in the very recent past. My husband and I plan on eradicating over a thousand on our property and have already removed a few hundred of both Rhamnus frangula and R. cathartica. I guess time will tell if there is in fact a relationship.

So the government acquired a mite to control rose multiflora which was destroying farm crops and it is killing all the other roses, and now they have acquired an Asian lady bug to eat aphids which is driving people up the walls and out of the garden. What will our government think of next? Kudzu to control erosion or wisteria to take down trees? Ah, what a wonderful place to live.

Let's not forget:

House Sparrows were introduced into North America from England in the 1850s on the mistaken premise that they would help reduce crop insect pests ;)

CindyinAAMI - thanks for the bay leaf idea
chrisrw ON - thanks for the soapy sugar water idea. I will be trying both.
RustyAngel - Your black beetle with red on top sound like box elder beetles. They look a lot like roaches, feed off box elder trees and spend their winters indoors mainly at my house. They have no natural enemies because they taste bad and stink. They are dumb as a brick. If you squish them they leave a red mess just like asian beetles leave an orange stain. We have lots of box elder beetle/ladybug traps in our house. They are called light fixtures. I have to put a lid on all pans or I will have box elder soup. I never drink out of a glass without looking inside first. My husband's computer is on a beetle highway. I have looked in to see them crawling on his chest and arms while he typed. They dive bomb him from the light fixture and he doesn't always notice. I comb them out of my hair. I cracked up reading about a guy who kept a stick with duct tape on it for picking off beetles while watching sports on tv so he wouldnt miss the big plays. I heard if you remove all box elder trees within 100 feet of your house it helps. One good thing about them is when they start clustering outside your house you can locate holes that need to be patched. If there is an opening they will find it. I hate the asian ladybugs more. They are crowding out the gentle red american ladybugs who have always been welcome guests in my home. Hyperactive, dominating, biting yellow buggies run round and round the glass of our ceiling lights. When the mating(?) swarm happened last year the cloud of asian beetles covered our whole neighborhood for days from the ground to 10 or 20 feet swirling, biting, smacking you in the face. It looked like a blizzard. I am thinking of getting the smallest wet/dry Shop Vac, adding some water and soap, or maybe vinegar, and using that to suck up the bugs. I wonder if roach motels would work? Those cardboard boxes with sticky glue inside. By the way box elder beetles are related to stink bugs and bed bugs

grow lots of roses !!!!!! lots and lots. you'll have the most beautiful roses in town, and you'll live in harmony w/the ladybugs. aint' life grand !!

http://www.google.com/search?q=trap+ladybugs&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8

Trap them and possibly sell them where needed.

Just found this thread again...we have hundreds of the yellow lady bugs in our house...and our house is painted a dark green! Strangely, they are mostly in one room of our home...the master bedroom. All of the rooms are painted a lighter color except for the master bedroom...which is a medium green. Most of the walls are off white and pale yellow...so I'm wondering why they've chosen to descend upon our dark green home, and not the neighbor's all-white home? And why our green bedroom, not the light colored walls in the rest of the house? But boy...do they ever stink! I'll probably go through 3 or 4 vacuum bags a day.

no time to read this entire thread so i hope i'm not repeating somebody but here's what we found...get any doggie flea/tick spray (the one i picked off the shelf is made by farnam). spray it around inside your doorways and windows, wherever you think these pests are entering your home. when they come in contact with the spray (wet OR dry), they die instantly.

since we started doing this (we spray weekly) we have had very few crawling on the ceiling. before, there were literally hundreds of them. now all i have is a little pile of them at each doorway threshhold and on the window sills. the dustbuster takes care of THAT problem!

hope this helps. the spray doesn't have to be anything fancy or expensive. i suppose they all contain about the same ingredients. this one is for use on dogs and premises. i loath using chemicals and i don't unless it's absolutely necessary but i'm so close to the brink of insanity what with everyday life, one more asian beetle would send me over the edge!! nina;)

I just found this post. We just moved into our newly built white house and we have noticed about a thousand lady bugs on our house. Most of them seem to like the screened in porch.

At first, I thought it was cute, ( as I like lady bugs) but now after reading these posts, I am concerned about too many getting into the house.

Will this be a yearly problem? Do they only do this in the fall or will it be every day? Will the first hard freeze get rid of them?

LSST

Originally posted this in the 'general' forum [yesterday] and meant to do it here. Meanwhile I had another thought - my neighbors had their house cedar shingle sided last year and now have NO ladybugs, maybe that's the answer. Live in south central PA and have a mess-o-ladybugs! Don't know my zone, sorry. House is medium blue siding (which I have heard makes this worse) and very old (120 years). Have new windows and sealed everything else with RTV (clear caulk) for ALL pests. Still have a mess-o-ladybugs. Went to Sam's and wiped the place out of bay leaves and crumbled them in every sill and doorway (advice from 3 years ago). Still had a mess-o-ladybugs. Did the sugar and soap in water in every yogurt/sour cream/margarine tub I owned (advice from 2 years ago). Still had a mess-o-ladybugs. Last year out of sheer frustration I sprayed every entryway with wasp/hornet shooter spray - it was at hand and I had window dressings down to clean anyway. This helped for about 3 days (and left the aforementioned piles-o-ladybugs in the window wells and on the floors just inside the doors). Not to mention the sticky mess of the bug spray everywhere. However, since this seems to be the only thing that has even made a dent so far, I continue to use it...then...clean, clean, clean. Saw the advertisement for a 'sure-fire' cure by someone in this forum and elsewhere in the 'rid ladybugs' Google search but don't know how crazy I will have to get to spend 30 - 100 dollars for an unknown/untried/unproven answer. Haven't tried lemon candles, incense or lemon grass oil but plan to. Any and all recommendations short of putting out the cash [cheap, yeah, and I've probably already spent at least that much on wasp spray...lol] gladly accepted by bumpgirl56@yahoo.com. Thanks! ruraljean

Sounds like Box Elder Bugs to me as well.... Please repost the picture...

Drew

I get nests of the "lady"bugs-stinky biters that they are-in my out buildings-sounds tacky but it works-I hang duct tape up by the lights IN my house-there are so many of them-they fly right into the gray tape - I have only had a couple ever be able to take off-just fold up the tape and put up new-I do avoid the crunch though-ick. I also seem to catch more when the lights are on. Another use for duct tape, ha ha!

I get nests of the "lady"bugs-stinky biters that they are-in my out buildings-sounds tacky but it works-I hang duct tape up by the lights IN my house-there are so many of them-they fly right into the gray tape - I have only had a couple ever be able to take off-just fold up the tape and put up new-I do avoid the crunch though-ick. I also seem to catch more when the lights are on. Another use for duct tape, ha ha!

Here is some info I found on a site that I thought might help explain why it is hard to rid the ladybugs...

'Tis the season! Ladybugs are looking for a place to hibernate. They are attracted to light colored homes, usually older homes and they are attracted to heat that the homes reflect. Once ladybugs have penetrated the home though, they are hard to get rid of.
Ladybugs release pheromones, it is sort of like "perfume" to attract other ladybugs. They use pheromones as a means of communication during mating and hibernation. It helps ladybugs find each other and it lets future generations know of a good place to "camp out" for the winter. The pheromones don't go away easily. The chemical "scent" can remain year after year, and not only on the outside of a structure, but also within the walls, where ladybugs tend to hide before emerging into your home. So, scrubbing pheromones off a house is a BIG task, if not impossible.
The yellow stuff you might see from time to time is their blood. It, too, contains pheromones and it stains. You can see the yellow blood when you hold a ladybug and it gets scared. This is called reflex bleeding. Releasing some of its blood is one way the ladybug can protect itself. The blood smells bad and signals to a predator that this ladybug is not a good lunch choice.

To prevent ladybugs from getting in, make sure all cracks around windows, doors, clap boards, pipes, ect. are sealed up. Some extermination companies offer this service, sometimes called inclusion. This, too, is no small project, and may cost a small fortune, but it's worth it. Especially if you don't like ladybugs joining you for dinner

http://www.ladybuglady.com/Infestation.htm

I've read that lady bugs will stay near to were they hatch. My mother has lots of them in her yard but not so many to be a nuisance. You can usually find their little cacoons attached to the bark of trees and in flower beds. Also, in leaf piles. I wonder if you could spray the larva with something and maybe eliminate some of them before they hatch and start flying around everywhere. Also, don't lizards eat them? Just thoughts...

Okay, they are here again this year, Thousands of them. It is a never ending battle with box elder bugs and asian beetles. I have tried everything but paying to have them eradicated because I am sure they will be back next year.
I think we will be having a june bug problems this year as well. I found at 45 or so of them laying just under the top of the soil in my flower beds.
We just moved into this place last year. My lab would chase them down and eat them...he has now gotten smart and associates the bugs with a nasty taste in his mouth so he will not eat them anymore. Drat!
They are on the east and west walls of every building on our place, by the thousands! If you are in the market for these nasty critters I will let you have them for free! I will even let you stay in my guest room while you catch them...proper id required and 3 day stays only please. LOL
Melissa in NE

Ohmigosh, and I thought I had problems with bugs! Thanks, everyone, for the laughs and the info. :)
Rosebush

I don't have a lady bug problem here at my home in Orange County, California but when I was hiking in Ice Box Canyon near Mount Baldy a few days ago I came upon an area infested with ladybugs. They literally covered the surfaces of bushes, boulders, live trees, and dead trees. I was tempted to brush some of them into my backpack and bring them home for my garden but didn't because I didn't think they would survive the trip home. After reading this thread I'm definately glad I didn't take some home. I can't remember ever getting bit by a ladybug, but maybe because I never came across the Asian variety being discussed here. I also never saw a ladybug eating an aphid or whitefly. The best predator in my yard is a type of wasp that looks sort of like a yellowjacket but is bigger and skinnier. They don't sting, at least I never got stung, and aren't agressive either. I assume they are a predator because they are always crawling around on leaves evidently looking for something, but they aren't eating the leaves.

Sell em on EBAY! ;-)

Hello ...
Ooooh great news for the folks here that have Toooo many LADYBUGS! Here it is and you can buy it at WALMART!
I believe the price is around $7.00
"Hartz 3in1 Home Spray" It comes in a light blue pump bottle.
Sure hope it works for you, it seems to be really working for ME and we have MILLIONS and ...
They are SURE NOT LADIES! Lol!

I have battled ladybugs for 4 years now and finally found the answer this year...a product called Tempo, made by Bayer. It costs around $40. Spray it in the fall before they invade your home and also the first time time you see them. I did that this year and I'm finally ladybug free!

I agree with laurazone5,
from what my husband said last summer, they were introduced to irradicate certain tree diseases.
I don't have any in my home yet here in colorado, but the whole summer was spent dodging them and finding dead ones on the floor that my cats ate.
They certainly do stink, and even my cats had a hard time killing them.
I hope we don't wake up this spring to a bunch of them flying around our house! Those that came in my house were vaccuumed up...but I'm talking maybe ten of them!
This whole page of postings is crazy! Maybe this will be on the news soon, and the government will be forced to help...
sure sure

I live in the northern Nevada desert and have noticed I have hundreds, if not more, lady bugs in my yard. I was doing a search to see if they were migrating or not. Do you all think I have something to worry about here? Last summer we had millions of caterpillars then butterfly's in the spring and beginning of summer. That was a big pain, the caterpillars ate every bit of green in site, then the butterflys being smeared all over your windshield from simply driving down the street! But it sounds like lady bug problems are worse...should I start taking measures now to reduce the population or should I wait and see where it goes? I dont know if my neighbors are having the same issue with lady bugs, none of them really have yards since it is so hard to keep them up here with our sand, windstorms, etc. I thought perhaps it was something to do with the 2 ponds I installed last summer. They have attracted many critters to my yard (dragonfly's, water skimmers, water beetles...the list goes on...).

Thanks for any advise.
Debi

We used to live in Indiana and we experienced the nightmare of the lady bugs. They seem to be a cross between a lady bug and something else because they are brown and do bite. They would try to get in our house in the fall so we sprayed bug spray around windows, doors, the soffit and where the siding meets the foundation. If they do get in, they lay dormant until the spring. The spring is when they want back outside so they swarm every available door and window to get out. It's gross! We would spray the outside to keep them away in the fall. We would bomb our attic to kill any that may have gotten in. We did rid ourselves of the nasty things but it's a yearly ritual and if you relax they will come back.

This might help...I saw a post earlier stating you can use a container with water, liquid soap, and sugar, this is a GREAT idea. Here is something they may work just as good or perhaps even better and is very similar. For equal measurments I will use a standard one cup container. Take the one cup container, fill it half way with vinegar (yes, a nasty smell), and add two drops of liquid dish detergent. Now sit this out in any room (larger sizes of course for severe problems), and see what happens. This should not help with only the LB's, but fruit flies and other flying insects. Let me know how it goes.

Here's an '07 post to add to the suggestions.
Scoop them up, dump/place them in a container w/ a top (-not air tight! need air holes) and put it in the refrigerator. They'll stay in the container if you wash it with sugarwater. After a few days, and a few more dumps, take the container out, put it in a box and mail it to me. :)

I like Lady Beetles. I had them all over the property but it appears that the city's mosquito spraymobile is killing them off. I have only seen TWO, possibly three, as of yesterday, so far this year! Just as bad last year and the year before when the spraying increased... :(

Seriously, ladybugs can survive in the fridge with just a little food and can be transported elsewhere before they wake-up and get active. Use a personal/portable dustbuster-like vacuum (example) to keep from picking them up - o n e - a t - a - t i m e.
You _will_ have to dump the bag or they _will_ crawl out to a light source. Keep vacuum handy under your chair or some other dark spot while collecting. ;)

If you can do it, instead of the refrigerator, dump them in a container and put it in the freezer for a permanent sleep.(I cannot ...but I do not have "millions" either.)

I do not rec' any poison be attempted.

There is no way to keep them out of the home unless it is 100% air tight. None are, so minimize by filling all gaps, fixing screens, adding edge insulation and where possible taping over any place that cannot be insulated in a way to make it reasonably air tight. Lady Beetles can squeeze thru cracks/openings better than roaches. It has been said that they are attracted to light colors so white and light-colored homes get invaded more.

Oh, BTW, all Lady Beetles stink if squashed so don't do that. The fluid will stain too...
And when you transport them, if you transport them, give them some food so they will hang around the new hood. Once they stick for a while they will stay there until food runs low but even if they don't, do not worry, there are not any homing lady beetles. :)

...

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

WHAT WORKED FOR ME? After reading a gazillion posts here on the Garden Web I zeroed in on two methods to test.

1. I sprayed a touch of last summer's Sevin spray (which was disgustingly brown in color from setting around so long). I only sprayed the center window in my living room along the top where the screen abuts the window.

2. In the room off the living room I set a plastic 8 oz. cup, containing 6 oz. apple vinegar with a teaspoon of Dawn dish detergent added, on a bookcase just under one window.

WALLA! The following day or two, there remained a few of the critters. After a week (now going on week three) they seem to be completely gone.

I am not sure which method worked. Next year, should they return, I will start with the cup of vinegar/dishwashing solution. If that doesn't work I will go with the Sevin spray.

Vinegar and water works!!!!! I was over run with lady bugs year after year at our cabin vacation home. They covered the walls and lay dead on the floors. I was sick about it. My vaccum canister was full after vaccuming everyday. Dead lady bugs fill our tub and floors. One year I decided to spray white distrilled vinegar and water on the window sills to see if this would help. When I returned there was no dead lady bugs on the window sills. hmmm. Since that seemed to work, i got a hose attachment and filled it with vinegar. With the hose we sprayed our whole cabin. I sprayed the house about two weeks before the lady bugs come in Oct. WOW it seemed to work... Now there are no lady bugs in some of the rooms and only a few in the others. I am going to do this every year in Oct and March which is lady bug season at our place. We used a ladder and made sure we sprayed all the windows and sills and walls of the house. Make sure you test with the solution because it can darken the wood if it is not protected with paint or stain. Hope this works for you too.

i am a 77 yr old woman. i have had more experience with these @#!&$ bugs than i care to talk about. don't waste anybody's time with " humane" solutions. don't waste anybody's time with " eco friendly" solutions. get a jug of seven bug poison and spray. a few days later, spray again. every time they swarm you again, spray, spray. spray. THAT is the ONLY help. if you don't want to do that then live with them.spray them dead---then suck 'em up. that's the ONLY solution!

I hope that no one heeds Sandra's advice. Sevin is a hazardous chemical, unsafe to be sprayed near humans and pets and wildlife.

and asian beetles

Wow so old post ,but yet to be revived. What i want to add is that always look for safe alternatives to pesticides and insecticides. I would recommend reading information on http://www.peststart.com and find the right solution to pest problems.

One of the best things you can do is to make your home unwelcome to ladybugs. If you prevent them from entering, they will be a significantly smaller nuisance. Pesticides can be effective if chosen wisely and used properly. I'd check out Do My Own Pest Control's guide to getting rid of them. http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/lady-bug-pest-control-a-290.html

dmopc, none of the products listed on your web site are very safe for the average homeowner to use. Synthetic pyrethroids that are extremely corrosive to the eyes and cause severe respiratory distress? Not anything that any sane person should recommend.

kimmq is kimmsr