Sunday, November 22, 2009

Hibernating Ladybugs

In the past few weeks the ladybugs have returned to our house to hibernate.  To the inside of our house, that is. 

Last year was our first autumn in the house and we were shocked to find hundreds, maybe thousands, of ladybugs migrating inside when the weather first got cold.  Our home isn't well insulated and the ladybugs find a way to get inside.  Last autumn we collected them in jars and took them away.  We exterminated the house last spring, but the ladybugs still returned, although this autumn we have less ladybugs than last year.  In the past few weeks we have collected them in jars once again and let them go down the street - I think we got rid of most of them now.  It seems once we remove them they do not come back.  They are mostly on the sunny side of the house walking on the walls, but they also get everywhere in the rooms on that side of the house. 

Here's a ladybug on a sneaker shoelace.



Here are a group of ladybugs in a corner of a room by the ceiling.



Some of the ladybugs have spots, some don't have spots.  Although I don't hate ladybugs, I really don't like them inside my house, and I'm happy we got rid of them for now!  I think if it were any other type of bug I'd really freak out!  Goodbye, ladybugs...

6 comments:

Robin said...

Isn't that weird. There have been lady bugs coming into our house too. But not in the quantities that you seem to get.

Sue said...

When we lived in Illinois-we dreaded the soybean harvests. You could just see the clouds of ladybugs flying up as they harvested. I'm serious-we had MILLIONS of them. The exterminator always was VERY busy the first week in October-we had a standing appt. with him. It was disgusting afterwards, vacuuming them all up. Ugh. I'm soooo glad to be away from there.

Country Girl said...

We get ladybugs every year. They get into the church and gather in the corner up by the ceiling in the front hall. We got some in the house this year too. They went up by the ceiling lights.-The church got a lot of them. We only got about 30 or so! What a pain!

Leigh said...

Oh gosh. We've had that happen before, but not at this house. Yet. I just keep reminding myself that Ladybugs are the good guys because they eat aphids. But I still vacuumed them up and away.

Randy said...

Robin -It's good to know I'm not the only one to have ladybug issues!!!

Sue - ok, you beat me with the ladybug problem! That sounds awful!

Barb - I remember when I was young Mom & Tom used to go to that little old Friendship church in Landisville by the cemetary - they always had so many bugs in the upstairs balcony, it was soooo gross! No one ever cleaned them up, it freaked me out!

Leigh - Yes, I think they are good bugs, too, because they eat aphids. That's why I try not to kill them if I can help it, just relocate them.

Anonymous said...

This a very natural event. I have hundreds of them on the side of my house as well but look at it this way most of them will migrate and some will stay around to hibernate. When spring comes they will help your garden and they are harmless don't kill the nature cycle we are in their territory just a thought to give u. Happy Lady bug days are here!!