Size:
Usually about 1/4-inch in length and round in shape.
Color:
Many colors, but wings are usually red or orange.
Ladybugs are predators of aphids and other plant pests so they may be found on a wide variety of plants outside.
- Asian lady beetles (LadyBugs) prefer to cluster on the sides of homes and other buildings, eventually working their way into the building through small cracks or crevices, or natural breaks in the window panes, door jams or foundations as the temperatures decrease. They are seeking a suitable place to spend the winter (over winter) Once inside the building, ladybugs hibernate, until the first warm days of late winter or early spring, when they seem to come to life again and begin crawling about.
- Asian lady beetles (LadyBugs) congregate in large numbers during the late fall rather than disperse to over winter individually under bark or in leaf litter, as do most lady beetles.
- Asian beetles tend to be attracted to lighter colored buildings and especially to those that are illuminated by the sun (typically the south or southwest side). Darker colors or buildings in the shade are less likely to have problems. After spending the winter months tucked away in a wall void or other secluded place, they have simply forgotten how they got in. When they become active in the late winter, lady bugs often find themselves inside the home rather than outside. At this time ladybugs are merely looking for a way to escape to the out-of-doors. This reawakening may take place over several weeks, depending on temperatures and the size of the population.
The seven-spotted lady beetle is carnivorous. Both the adult and larval stages feed on insects harmful to plants, such as aphids and scale insects.
This species hibernates in groups, and sometimes enters houses in large numbers, looking for a place to spend the winter. They don't bite or damage household goods, but can be a nuisance.
Lady Bugs Prevention Tips
- Screen doors, window screens, and screened in porches should be inspected and properly sealed if you want to get rid of lady bugs. Perhaps the most common way for lady bugs to get into your home is through a crack in your screen windows or through a screen door that doesn’t properly fit the frame it’s resting in. Weather stripping is probably the cheapest way to seal screen doors, while a torn window screen will probably require a new screen.
- Door frames, window frames, and siding are the next thing you’ll want to seal to get rid of lady bugs.
- Some lady bugs are just too stubborn to take the easy way indoors, and instead they will try to get in through the siding of your house. Either inspect and seal the siding yourself, making sure to seal siding that surrounds things like air vents and piping, or have a professional siding company come in and do the job for you. Either way, preventing the migration of Asian beetles and lady bugs indoors requires that you bar any entrance from outside into your home. You may even want to consider temporarily blocking your roof vents when the weather starts to get colder.
- Be sure that all foundation and attic vents have tight-fitting screens.
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