Hello,
Home is in central Virginia and gets a lot of lady bugs. Is there anything that can help with this? Thanks for any information.
Pat L.
So for sure we can help!
First, understand that ladybugs (and stinkbugs actually) live for several years and during the winter, when trees loose their leaves, they’ll need a place to hibernate. This means homes will be targeted in the fall when leaves start to drop.
And once they start using any structure – like your home – to keep warm during the cold months, they will come back year after year meaning the problem will only increase. Eventually some will start to burrow so deep into the home siding, you’ll start seeing them inside living areas. Typically this will be up high on walls and ceilings where the air will be the warmest.
To stop them, you could have sprayed MAXXTHOR EC onto the homes siding back in the fall. This would have killed them quickly and in some cases, keept them away for good. So for a house with a new and developing problem, 1-2 treatments in the fall when they first start will get the job done and usually keep them at bay.
But for homes that have had the issue for more than 2 years, you could easily have to spray 3-5 times to stop them for good. Sometimes even twice a week until they stop landing on the siding. This happens because they “know” this is their winter home and so they will be stubborn and persistent while trying to get inside.
Now that we’re in winter, the exterior treatments are not critical meaning they won’t help unless we get a warm spell and you see them active outside. This does happen down here in Atlanta a few times in Jan-Feb so it’s something we’re prepared to do when it warms. This is especially helpful at preventing them from coming back next year. But for now, when you say you have “a lot of lady bugs”, we expect you mean inside the home, correct? And if so, they’re probably focused up high on walls and/or ceilings. For that type of an issue, there are a couple of options that will help.
First, you can lightly mist the wall and ceilings with either MULTIPURPOSE INSECT KILLER or BITHOR.
Multipurpose is ready to use. It comes in a can, is odorless and can be lightly misted on walls or ceilings without staining or making a mess when used properly.
If you have to treat the entire home, consider getting BITHOR and our MINI MISTER. This will prove to be a lot more economical because you can make 20 gallons of Bithor from one jug so the cost in the long run is much lower compared to buying aerosols. Plus it’s strong enough to use outside to spray on home siding to get stop them from invading.
BUGSPRAY MINI MISTER PRO RECHARGEABLE AEROSOL SPRAYER 12 OZ | BUGSPRAY
Lastly, you can also install one of our LADYBUG LIGHT TRAPS. This model uses a special black light and ladybug pheromones to attract them. As they “enter” the holes on the side, they’ll get caught in a replaceable glue pad that lasts 6-12 months. Use one trap per room where they’re a problem and if possible, set them on a timer so they operate when its dark. The prime time for catching them will be from 7 PM to 7 AM during the winter.
ARMADILHA LADY BEETLE STINK BUG LIGHT TRAP (PREVIOUS NAME: SPARROW HAWK)
Lastly, all of these products are covered in great detail on our sight here:
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