When I vacuumed up ladybugs, I’d put a nylon stocking over the hose to trap 'em… then go outside and empty the nylon near a pine tree (their preferred home).
Don’t know why they bother you if they’re in the attic over winter… they’re probably eating all the other vermin in your attic
They will leave the house in the spring, the way they came in. You won’t have to worry about them being permanent. They can squeeze in between things with a very small gap. I’ll bet that the screens don’t keep them out next fall.
From what I have read they don’t feed or reproduce inside.
And they only leave if they can find their way back out which is rarely form what
I see.
At this point mass murder by insecticide is they way I am going.
Just so we are clear it’s not that mind this insect at all. What I mind is when my 8 month old eats them off the floor, when they land on the television screen, when you find them on your guests plate etc.
In the end they will lose…they are small and I am big.
You need to consider that they are in winter survival mode right now. They have a slower metabolism, and gather in masses. Insecticide may not work until it is warm in the attic.
Well now, I don’t think the farmers would like to see that rumor spreading. According to this site, we have our illustrious government to blame for this one:
Here on the prairie where we grow a lot of soybeans, we are inundated with these little bastids every fall. (Apparently soybean aphids are their favorite dish.) Tens of thousands of them besiege us in October and November, they ooze out of the walls throughout the winter, and they finally leave or just die out in the spring. All summer they hang out in the crops and eat. We’ve caulked and insulated and expanding-foamed every possible crevice, but they always find a way in. We’ve seen our neighbors set small fires around their houses (the beetles are attracted to heat), but we see them later feverishly vacuuming their ceilings, so I’m guessing the fires aren’t very effective.
We just vacuum them up now and don’t worry about it much. If you do find something that kills them without killing you and the family, I’d love to hear about it, but you might be better off just investing in some extra vacuum cleaner bags/filters. (I don’t think it would be a good idea to put insecticide in your vacuum, either, especially not if your child is nearby when you operate it.)
Bug bombs are awesome. I have had this exact same problem over the years and bug bombs are the only solution. The best part is that you will kill about twice as many as you can see right now. They just come out of all the cracks and die in neat little piles. Then you won’t have to deal with them for a while (sometimes up to six months!)
I’ve removed trim from a window that had a few visible, to find a hundred between the trim and wall. I found a few on the carpet and went to vacuum. There are a few hundred where the carpet meets the wall, and they were even going under the pad. I think it’s way beyond having twice what you see. Try it’s hundreds of times worse than what you see. The smell is bad enough, but when they bite it hurts.