Grow and Graze

Episode 107-Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle

• Douglas Clement

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Douglas Clement:

Hello and welcome to the Grow and Graze podcast, episode number 1 0 7. We are with NC Cooperative Extension in Cherokee County, and today we're going to be talking about the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle and how you can control them inside your house. And today we also have with us Jim Wilcox. Hello Jim. And today we're going to tag team a little bit and just give you a little information about The Lady Beetle and what is recommended to be able to control these insects. So Jim, you want to tell us a little Bit about'em?

Jim Wilcox:

Sure. It's a lot of people think, Oh my gosh, I've got ladybugs in the house. And you described them right, a Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle. These were actually introduced in 1982 because into the area, because they feed on aphids in our field crops, our gardens so as frustrating as it may be that these little rascals will get into your home, they do serve a purpose in the community in your garden. Why we see them in our home, temperature starts to cool in the fall. They're looking for a warm place, not unlike us So they'll find that warmer side of your, your home, the building, and they'll they'll start to come in there and they've, they've, they kind of come back to the same area. They're still researching as to why that might be, but it seems like there's a pheromones or scents that that will bring them back. Maybe even some of the smell of those that there in the past, so that's why they seem to come back to the same site every year. On a warm day they might start to get active, they're gonna move towards the light and and they're gonna go towards your windows. Right? Right. A lot of people will call, and a lot of times that's the first thing they talk about is they've got a lot of beetles around their windows or the other thing that we hear a lot of is if they've got a light colored house, like a White House or something like that seems, that seems to attract the Beatles too as well. Well, that does it they'll go towards that more often although if you've got a dark house, you still very well may them in there as well. Right. And you're correct. They, they are looking for warmth, so They are and so all those tiny cracks is where they're getting in. You know, the good news is, they're, they're more of a nuisance. They're not going to eat anything in your home. They're although they could stain a fabric especially if they got crushed, they're not gonna eat the wood.

Douglas Clement:

I think the most of the time when we get a phone call here, they're at the point of, of they, they're wanting to know, of course, how to control those, right? How do I make sure these lady beetles do not get into my home and, and I know we have a lot of people that want that one thing fixed to be able to do that and there's really not a one, a one thing fixed that you can do with it.

Jim Wilcox:

So, so we can't drench our house and pesticides and get rid of'em.

Douglas Clement:

No. In fact, pesticides has a very limited effectiveness for these beetles. You can spray repeatedly and it just, it isn't practical nor is it economical really to do either. So, you know, the, two ways, and we'll talk about those a little bit in depth, but the two ways that you can get rid of them, of course, is exclusion. And when I say exclusion, I don't mean to wrap your home in aluminum foil right, or plastic, but just to, just to plug those holes up, right. Mm-hmm. Tight fitting sweeps around your doors. Good. You know, the, the weather stripping, you know, you wanna make sure that that's around the door frames. Probably our air ac where that feeds into the house. Caulk has a tendency, even though they've got a lot better at it over the years, caulking has a tendency to not last forever so you may have to do some re caulking around your That's true. home or something like that's. Another thing that's really great is if you can put screens up, you know, around the gable vents of your house so they can't get in in your house up top too as well. Good. Just wanna let everybody know too, that once those lady beetles get in your home, if you actually spray them and there's enough of them in your home you, we've had instances where people's had to actually pull out their insulation and get that out because they've killed so many of them it creates an odor basically,

Jim Wilcox:

there, there is an odor in them, which is why when you vacuum them up in your home, it's a good idea to change out that vacuum pretty quickly. Right. But you had an idea about using a lady stocking in there when you

Douglas Clement:

vacuum. Right. Jim. That's the other, that's the other one that is really important is just taking a vacuum cleaner every other day. And I know that's not, doesn't sound great, but that's probably one of the easier ways to take care of it, is just vacuuming them up and, and getting rid of them that way.

Jim Wilcox:

While you're vacuuming it, you're right, it's a hassle yet I, I believe that the smell of those bugs goes away when you vacuum them and that's the smell that may get you fewer of these in your home next year.

Douglas Clement:

Correct. Correct. There's another one that a lot of people ask about, of course, which is the, they do make a black light trap, but those just do not work well inside of a house and it's more, I think, for a commercial type operation but that's available that, that would be available and we'll have it in our show notes. If somebody's interested in that, they can certainly buy or build one of those too as well. The good news is, is they, they don't sting, they don't eat your wood. They are a nuisance when they get in your home, but the best thing to do is to do the things to keep'em from getting inside your home. So, Yep, exclusion and then let them stay outside and eat those aphids. That's right. Right. Well, certainly. Jim, can you think of, do you, can you think of anything else? I believe we've pretty much covered it. So but you got anything you would like to add? No.

Jim Wilcox:

You know, it's, it's part of living in the mountains, you know? Right. We love it here. The insects do too when it's cold. They want to come inside and our job is to help them stay where they belong.

Douglas Clement:

Well, we appreciate you being here with us today, Jim. And if anybody else wants to learn any more about this, we'll have the links in our show notes and our main website is cherokee dot ces dot ncsu dot edu. And we really thank everyone for listening and being with us. Thank you.