Ladybug Invasion in Lincoln (Bee: apartment complex, new home, neighborhood)

[skidamarink]

So it was about three days ago that I came back from work, walked to my apartment complex and noticed the door to the complex was COVERED with ladybugs. I had a buncha them fly and cling onto my hair and I just got chills up my spine. I managed to open the door and run into my room as fast as I could, only to find that there were ladybugs in my sink! My windows were shut tight and they still managed to get in (I don't see any cracks in the window?). The window was covered with ladybugs too, so I just resorted to vacuuming the ladybugs but they still came back. Since it rained pretty hard today, they went away from a while, but they came back tonight. A couple friends of mine who live in a different neighborhood have the same problem, and I noticed them swarming around some store entrances. What the hell is this? Does Lincoln produce some kind of plant or flowers that attract ladybugs? Are there any ladybug pesticides legal in the city of Lincoln that I can buy? I've gone to sleep with goosebumps for the past few nights because of this. I'm afraid they will lay eggs in my bed and my carpet and my room will become a breeding ground for ladybugs.

[Off Pavement]

Can't speak about Lincoln, but in western Nebraska, I call it bug of the week around our place. Box Elder bugs swarm and make "carpets" of bugs on the side of the house now and then... spray mild detergent and water mix on them to disperse. Lady bugs have never been much of a problem for some reason out here, but they always appear with the fly migration we get following a cold spell that has a couple warm days after. Milipeids are my least favorite as they are fast and seem to come from everywhere, and wolf spiders are as big as an old silver dollar and the fastest crawling bug I've ever seen.

You can make money off Lady Bugs! I just saw an ad - 1500 Lady Bugs for $6.50! (I'd hate to be the one counting them).

Lady Bug Information

[pepe1]

They are technically 'Japanese Beetles'. They swarm each fall when farmers take the crops out of the fields. The Japanese Beetle was introduced as a natural predator to other harmful insects related to soy bean plants. In the spring and summer they live and the fields and when their homes are harvested in the fall, they swarm trying to find a new home.

They are harmless to humans, but I agree there sheer numbers is annoying. They'll go away come the first hard frost - never to be seen again...Until next fall.

[skidamarink]

Yanno, I've heard people saying Nebraska has a lot of millipedes but I haven't seen any since moving here a few years back. I'm scared to death of those, so I get paranoid every once in a while.

No, those were ladybugs at my door pepe. I know what Japanese Beetles look like and I would know how to kill those suckers. I was just a little freaked out by the ladybugs because I've never seen such an infestation like this before. Made me wonder if there is some kind of chemical in the building attracting them.

[Gunluvver2]

I live in South Lincoln and we have had a Lady Bug invasion also. One thing different this year is we have both Orange/Black and Yellow/Black spotted ones. They find a warm place in your house and die. I just take the shop vac to them. If you have a garden they are great bugs to have. They eat Aphids by the ton.

Oh BTW you should encourage the Wolf Spiders. From the information I have gathered about them they are a deadly enemy both Black Widows and Brown Recluse Spiders. I haven't asked the local County Extension agent if this is true but I suspect it is.

GL2

[vpandora]

Originally Posted by skidamarink

No, those were ladybugs at my door pepe. I know what Japanese Beetles look like and I would know how to kill those suckers. I was just a little freaked out by the ladybugs because I've never seen such an infestation like this before. Made me wonder if there is some kind of chemical in the building attracting them.

I've heard them called Japanese Beetles, Japanese Lady-Beetles, its all the same thing. I don't believe that our native lady bugs swarm in as great of numbers as these do. The reason they are pests is that they are so effective in controlling aphids that they leave no food source for the native bugs, and sometimes even eat the native lady bugs.

The worst thing about these, besides the sheer numbers, is the smell. If you squish them or vacuum them, they stink! Here is a link that goes to the UNL extension office article about the bugs and controlling them.

Ladybugs - Multicolored Asian Ladybird Beetles