Aphids reproduce at the rate of 200 per every 2 weeks.

If you allow for 1 starter, and all of it's offspring to survive, after 70 weeks the number of aphids would exceed
the number of molecules on this planet.

Yes we need that many Ladybugs.

Bug Guy in Alaska...I am very busy with major home renovations and would like to send you some of my crop of beetles but I am really too busy right now. All I have time for is sucking the home invaders up with the shop vac and dumping them. For years I caught and released them... but now...no mercy! Whats with Alaska...they can't survive your winters??? What zone are you? I'm zone 5 and Lady Bugs definately thrive here!! Maybe next fall I can send you a shipment. By the way is legal for me to send insect out of state???

They don't taste good

and give you acid indigestion..

So what about your white house question??? Is this good or bad??? Recently I was in the garden and had a white shirt on and was getting bombarded with L.B.'s
So much so that I had to retreat to the house!! Grrrrrr!!!
I bet Bugguy must get Lady Bug envy when we talk!

Think that bad, I had a yellow jacket check out my nostrils and ears.

Did they release these ladybug imitations ie what you guys are calling Asian beetles of some sort in Australia as well?

Are the gov's that smart? I mean I used to see like ONE ladybug a year if I was lucky and if I was extremely lucky it was on my rosebush.

But these are bigger and burnt orange and fly alot more....and they dont seem to be eating anything but leaves!

Surely the gov's arent that smart, but I'd hate to think they are that stupid if it is just that they THOUGHT that these things were supersized ladybugs without testing them FIRST!?

For surely they realise that these bugs arent ladybugs and arent eating aphids!

I hope they take a shine to the white flys etc and I hope the birds take a shine to both things instead of any of my vege this year!

I live in a condo and I'm on the 8th floor, and literally ever evening there would be hundreds of them on the windows and the side of the building. In the fall they managed to get into the condo too.

Just last week it was mild and I saw some of these ladybugs outside, moving around, close to the ground. First time in my life I've seen live ladybugs in March.

In Ontario we have had the mildest winter ever recorded, so I guess we will see lots of these ladybugs this spring.

I'm going to try and catch a few for my solarium to keep any spider mites in check.

I don't think I have any bugs right now, but have had the odd spider mite infestation in the past. How many LB would be needed for a small (14'x 6')solarium to keep things in check?

How many do you have in your solarium Henry?

PS: the solution works for all kinds of flying pests, wasps, flys, etc.

What type of container do you use and how much water and sugar?

Any container will do, but I have been experimenting with different kinds, and the best is a plastic opaque-type container (my best one is a container I got muffin papers in) or a margarine or sour cream container, nothing you want to use again, though! The beetles don't seem to like glass jars though. I don't actually measure, I fill the container about 3/4 with water, add a drop or two of liquid soap, and just pour in the sugar, maybe 2 tbsps or so. I know it isn't very technical, but it really seems to work well. There seems to be a ton of beetles here, probably because of spring coming, and I have to dump the containers a couple of times a day, and refill. I put the containers where the beetles are, so on the window sill, under my son's night light at night... Let me know how it goes.

Chris

I feel my sanity is slipping for these Lady Bugs are driving me mad!

Sorry about the wrong word in previous post, I was quick to type before one attacked again

Yes, they do bite, but you could take it as a compliment. They think you are sweet, like a giant aphid! It's only a tiny nip, that's all. I don't think they can draw blood.

The orange leaf eating beetle is not a lady bug. What eats my roses are little lady-bug sized green beetles with black spots. It think they are called cucumber beetles. The long brown beetle with a red/orange strip down the middle, I think is another aphid eating bug, and a good one. Lady bug larvae look like little alligators, or Gila monsters, and they eat a lot more aphids than the adults. So if you want to control aphids, hope the ladybug mommy lays her eggs on your roses.

Judith

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

Colin

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.

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

If you can't use paypal, just send a check and I'll email the file to you. It's the best solution to get rid of ladybugs!

I also am going to be selling some products like traps, sprays and lures that will help you get rid of ladybugs as well.

Thanks,
Joe Barton

www.ihateladybugs.com
www.get-rid-of-ladybugs.com

"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. "

Hope this works!

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

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 ladybeetle’s 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 but…
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 Projects/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.

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

Trap them and possibly sell them where needed.

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;)

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

Drew

'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

Thanks for any advise.
Debi

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. :)

...

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