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Old 03-12-2009, 05:36 PM
 
3 posts, read 11,775 times
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I live in the mountains in Sevier County. Please, no comments regarding that needed... Anyway, on sunny days and warm days I have a problem in a couple of areas with lady bugs coming in our creeping up the window sills. I've done some research on it and it seems common. I was wondering if anyone out there has experienced this and if they had any luck in getting rid of them?
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Old 03-12-2009, 06:23 PM
 
Location: Tennessee
665 posts, read 1,926,060 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ebbie228 View Post
I live in the mountains in Sevier County. Please, no comments regarding that needed... Anyway, on sunny days and warm days I have a problem in a couple of areas with lady bugs coming in our creeping up the window sills. I've done some research on it and it seems common. I was wondering if anyone out there has experienced this and if they had any luck in getting rid of them?
Is there something bad about living in the mnts of Sevier county? I really don't know that's why I am asking. I know we are not suppos to say this, but where I came from Ladybugs are suppose to be good luck Just what I heard!
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Old 03-12-2009, 07:11 PM
 
13,352 posts, read 39,959,401 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ebbie228 View Post
I live in the mountains in Sevier County. Please, no comments regarding that needed... Anyway, on sunny days and warm days I have a problem in a couple of areas with lady bugs coming in our creeping up the window sills. I've done some research on it and it seems common. I was wondering if anyone out there has experienced this and if they had any luck in getting rid of them?
What color are they? I'm willing to bet that they're not the red ladybugs most people think of. When I lived in Kodak my house was infested with brown ladybugs, aka Asian ladybugs or Japanese ladybugs, something like that.

At any rate, once they're in your house there's nothing you can do about them. I called every pest control company as well as experts at U.T., and that's what they all said. So I just kept a vacuum cleaner handy, and every evening when I came home from work I sucked up a hundred or so ladybugs into the vacuum cleaner.

(Side note: it is against the law in Tennessee to kill ladybugs, although it's not against the law to kill those brown Asian/Japanese ladybugs.)

The only thing you can do is spray the OUTSIDE of your house at the end of summer. These ladybugs like to stay where it's warm, so as soon as the temperatures start to dip they seek the warm confines of your house. And once they enter the crevices in your houss there's nothing you can do. In the spring they'll eventually leave your house and head back outside.

You can always set off a bug bomb inside your house. It won't keep the ladybugs out, but at least they'll die as soon as they get in your house. Otherwise, there are probably hundreds of them swarming around inside the walls of your house.

Fun, huh?
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Old 03-12-2009, 07:18 PM
 
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ooh are they the orange ones?

they take over my parents' house in the spring. there's not much they can seem to do about them.
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Old 03-12-2009, 07:46 PM
 
Location: Knoxville, TN
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Pest guy told me this always happens after a few warm days, then when it gets colder, they seek the highest place possible facing the sun that is warmer than anything else. So I bet they're on your main floor if one level, or top floor window that faces the sun. He said there was a spray to keep them away somewhat, but it had to be sprayed before they were there. If they'e by a window, tape up the outside seems to keep them from getting in. If they're in already, keep a vaccuum handy and make a game out of it...Grasshopers and locusts I hear are good at eating them. Maybe hit the pet store and coat the window with a good supply of grasshoppers!!!!
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Old 03-12-2009, 07:49 PM
 
Location: Beautiful Strawberry Plains, TN
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I keep finding red ladybugs in my house too this year, just a small number but they are there.My husband keeps blaming it on the fact that I bring some of my outside plants indoors for the winter, so I'm glad you posted.You learn something every day here. ( not allowed to kill ladybugs in TN) I didn't know that.
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Old 03-12-2009, 07:59 PM
 
13,352 posts, read 39,959,401 times
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Originally Posted by ladyofengland View Post
I keep finding red ladybugs in my house too this year, just a small number but they are there.My husband keeps blaming it on the fact that I bring some of my outside plants indoors for the winter, so I'm glad you posted.You learn something every day here. ( not allowed to kill ladybugs in TN) I didn't know that.
I was shocked when I called a pest control company to see if they could come spray the ladybugs, and they told me that since the ladybug is the state insect, it's against the law to kill them. I guess that makes sense.

Anyway, those pesky brown/orange ladybugs, however, are NOT the state insect so we can kill them with wreckless abandon!

The people at U.T. told me of a non-chemical way of killing them. It has to be done in the summer.

Find the tree or bush where they tend to swarm. As William Sold said, it'll likely be a bush that's always in direct sunlight. Those things LOVE to be warm.

Take one of those hose attachment things that are normally for fertilizer (where the water from the hose mixes with the fertilizer and then shoots out the attachment). Instead of fertilizer, put dish washing liquid in the attachment, then spray the bush. The oil from the detergent coats the wings of the ladybugs so that they can't fly. They eventually drop to the ground dead. It probably needs to be done a couple of times since they tend to multiply fairly quickly.

And yes I know that dish washing liquid is a chemical, but it's nowhere near as dangerous as bug spray to pets and other critters.
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Old 03-12-2009, 09:37 PM
 
Location: Knoxville, TN
391 posts, read 1,359,208 times
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And that's how we successfully arm and train a ready militia, clad with hose sprayers and dishwashing liquids (battle attire helmet optional), ready to take on the swarming invaders. Fight well brave soldiers.....show no mercy for the weak winged adversary....retreat is not an option...
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Old 03-13-2009, 04:07 AM
 
Location: Tennessee
603 posts, read 2,339,762 times
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We've had one red ladybug in our house that my kids begged me not to step on. I wouldn't have anyway. They wanted to keep it as a pet, but I finally convinced them the insect needed to be outside. I scooped it up and took it outside. After all that commotion over one ladybug, I really hope I don't see hundreds.
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Old 03-13-2009, 07:34 AM
 
Location: Eastern TN
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BTW, in case you weren't aware, these non-native ladybugs are released as crop protection in orchards. Obviously, they do move around!
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