WHAT ARE THESE INSECTS?

Alright, does anyone have these little insects crawling around their home right now?  I do, I took the picture below earlier today.

One might think that these are cute little ladybugs, but with a closer look, they will see that they are actually Asian lady beetles.

Asian lady beetles are quite different then ladybugs and can quickly invade a home if they are not dealt with quickly.

HOW CAN I TELL IF THESE ARE LADYBUGS OR LADY BEETLES?

Here are a few signs that you actually have Asian lady beetles instead of ladybugs.

• The color of the lady beetles shell is a brownish orange and younger ones can be a bit red in color.  They are usually not the vivid red color of a ladybug.
• Lady beetles have a scent, and smell.  When they fear danger, they let off this strong scent to warn other lady beetles that danger is near.
• Lady beetles multiply quickly.  If you notice several quickly appearing in your home, it is most likely lady beetles.
• Lady beetles hibernate in the winter usually in the walls of homes.  In very early spring (still very cold outside, in my case below freezing), they start to wake up and make their way indoors to stay alive.
• Ladybugs die off in the fall and lady beetles hibernate. If it is still really cold outside (Below 50ºF) and you are seeing insects that look like ladybugs, you most likely have lady beetles and not ladybugs in the home.

These are just a few ways to figure out which insect is in your home.

10 WAYS TO GET RID OF LADYBUGS AKA ASIAN LADY BEETLES

Getting rid of lady beetles can be somewhat challenging.  Here are 10 natural ways to help you get rid of ladybugs AKA Asian lady beetles in your home.

1. Winterize Your Home – Lady beetles come in to the house most likely in the fall or even closer to winter.  They then hibernate and when it starts to warm up in the spring they come out of hibernation and work their way into the homes to stay alive.  In the fall, they will often find a place in the walls to sleep for the winter.  By winterizing your home, be sure to seal your doors and windows.  Caulk the windows, replace weather stripping if needed and make it hard for any creatures to essentially get into your home.

2. Act Fast – One of the most important things you can do when you notice these bugs in your home is to act fast.  These bugs can quickly multiply!  They are really good at communicating with one another with their scent and this quickly attracts more into your home.  Act fast to get rid of them before the problem gets out of hand!

3. Choose A Dark Colored Home – Lady beetles are attracted to lightly painted homes.  If you really have a problem, consider changing the paint on your home to a darker color.  This will help keep them out of your home.

4. Start gardening – Lady beetles are great for your garden! They eat aphids, a little bug that can really harm your garden. Welcome lady beetles into your garden, they can really be beneficial!

5. Plant Mums – Lady beetles do not like mums.  Be proactive and plant mums around the windows and around the entrance of the house.  Did you know that mums are a key ingredient in flea powder as well. Protect your home from all kinds of insects with mums!

6. Vacuum Them Up – Using your attachment tools on your vacuum, vacuum up these lady beetles. Most of the lady beetles will survive being vacuumed up.  If you have a garden, you can transfer them to your garden to help get rid of aphids.  If you prefer to get rid of them all together, place the vacuum bag into a sealed plastic bag or you can burn the bag that they are in.

7. Use Diatomaceous Earth Powder – Diatomaceous Earth Powder can be spread around the base of your home.  This will not only help prevent lady beetles from entering the home at ground level, but it will also help deter other creatures as well.

8. Remove The Lady Beetles Scent – This can be quite hard to do, as you often can not smell the scent unless the lady beetles senses danger.  Lady beetles do not like citrus or citronella scents so use this scent liberally when wiping up after these bugs.  Make a citrus spray with Wild Orange Essential Oil (You Can Buy It Here) diluted in some water. Spray liberally in areas you see the lady beetles in.

9. Use Cloves – Whole Cloves are another scent that lady beetles do not like.  Place small bags of cloves in areas that are heavily infested.  The smell will help in aiding these little insects to find a new home.

10. Use Bay Leaves – Whole Spice Bay Leaves, Whole can also be used to get rid of lady beetles.   Lady beetles do not like the scent of bay leaves.  Try making small pouches of bay leaves and cloves and place them around heavily infested areas.

With all of these tips, you will be on your way to get rid of ladybugs AKA Asian lady beetles forever!  Got any tips for us?  Feel free to leave them in the comment section below.