Indiana Swarmed with Lady Beetles
I was out on break earlier and noticed this unique ladybug without any spots…So I snapped the photo! There are literally thousands of them all over the sidewalk, cars and building right now.
The time when Asian lady beetles swarm up the sunny sides of tall or prominent buildings looking for winter shelter, preferably full of food, otherwise known as your house.
These ladybugs are natives of eastern Asia, and were originally introduced in California in 1964 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a biological control for pecan aphids.
Additional releases from 1978-1982 established them in the southern and eastern United States. Although they were never released in Indiana, they have migrated here from other areas and have now established themselves in our fields and our homes.
They seem to be attracted to buildings with contrasting light and dark areas, and are found in larger numbers on buildings adjacent to wooded areas.
They begin to emerge on the second day of temperatures above 65 degrees following freezing or near freezing temperatures. Usually, these conditions occur between late September and late October.
You can spray the outside of your home with BuggSlayer Insecticide to control Asian lady beetles. Water-based, odorless and non-staining.
http://www.buggslayer.com
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Funny, it’s summer down here and they’re taken over too :) To be honest I have a weird story with ladybugs, everyday loads of them come to die in my table at the astronomic observatory where i’m working, we’ve already done some thinking over it but we cant even seem to find where in heaven they’re coming from! And it’s all like this, they show up crawiling my desk and my monitor and whatnot and die. Not a single ladybug ventures the other people’s tables :F I’m guessing they like biologists :P
ps. don’t spray them! :D