A few years ago, my parents decided to move to a rural setting. The area is beautiful, they have a large plot of land with a lovely creek running through it, and all the peace and quiet they were looking for when they decided to leave the town I grew up in.
Over the last couple of years when I visit during the holidays, I’ve noticed quite a large ladybug gathering in their house. It’s always in the same corner of the living room as well. The ladybugs gather in one spot on the ceiling, forming a clump of red and black dots, that will sit there for a day or two before my mom gets a piece of paper, scoops them up, and sends them outside.
Within a few days, they return. Only to be scooped and exiled once again. Being ladybugs, nobody can bring themselves to take a can of raid to this colony. They’re pretty after all, and therefore on the side of Rightousness And All That Is Good. Unlike nasty creepy things like roaches or (Gasp!) spiders, which tend to earn the death penalty upon entering my folks domicile (actually, my moms a softie, and spiders smaller than an average terrier tend to get shuffled out with a broom instead of death. Her fatal error, in my opinion).
So my question is, why are the ladybugs doing this? Is it some sort of winter hibernation thing? Is there a way from deterring them from doing it in my parents house? I like ladybugs, but they’re still bugs, and when a couple hundred of them gather together I tend to get uneasy. I’d like to get rid of them, without killing them. Any ideas?
That is exactly what it is. Some species of Ladybird beetles hibernate in masses ( and are actually sometimes harvested in that state for later sale ), usually under logs or whatnot, but in cabins and homes is not at all unheard of.
Beetle-proof your parent’s house :). Try to find where they are getting in and seal off that entrance(s). But they really are pretty harmless, so removing them manually isn’t a big deal.
Or, your mom could build a little inverted box thingy to be a little hibernation nest for them. Hang it from the ceiling where they congregate, and they can snooze the winter away without giving the human residents the uncomfortable feeling that comes with seeing masses of bugs, and in the spring, the parental units can sell them- they eat aphids, you see, so farmers like having them in the fields. At least, organic farmers do.
Lady bug infestations are quite common in the Las Vegas Valley. Not as common as ant invasions, and I imagine once you’ve lived through a couple of those, ladybugs might seem like pleasant company.
At my camp in the fall, there’s always a ton of ladybugs around the windows. I always thought this was odd, because it never happens in town or anything, or at least not at any house I’ve been to. Interesting.
This past summer, I went to Colorado for a bit, and walked around Mesa Verde National Park for a while. Up on Park Point, the highest point in the park (8572 feet), my dad spotted something unusual. He turned over a leaf on this plant, and the underside was coated with hundreds of ladybugs all scrunched together. It was over 100 degrees that day; were they just all huddled in the shade to keep cool? Or was it a post-picnic nap, after talking about the high price of funiture and rugs and fire insurance for ladybugs?
