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Didnt realize how lucky we are in the UK not having a problem on this scale with insects... insecticides and pesticides are lethal to our own health so please be careful with these sprays...
Multicolored Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis)
These are a ladybug species imported into the U.S. in the 1980s to assist in pest control on soybean crops. The look like a ladybug with an orange or yellowish shell and (usually 11) black dots. When they invade the home, fighting them can be as frustrating as fighting fire ants. Unlike some other insect pests, these may call for the use of insecticides as a first line of defense. There are no significant predators of these beetles in the U.S.
The good - although they can nip with their mouth parts, they don't sting. They are not destructive to homes (if the homeowner doesn't take a sawzall to the walls in attempts to reach them). They don't carry any known diseases. They don't breed in the home.
The bad - they can create massive infestations, especially if nearby farmers have planted crops susceptible to aphids, which are the food of these lady beetles. When the crop gets harvested, swarms of these go hunting for other food sources and a place that is warm to overwinter. They can stink - some people smell them more than others. They can leave a yellowish stain. People can have allergies to them.
Like fire ants, the key to control is in understanding their behavior. They are attracted to light colored warm surfaces, but not so strongly that traps are particularly effective. They also seem to be attracted to broadly striated surfaces that alternate light and dark. They like to alight on the warm sides of houses and may leave cooler north and east sides alone. Once they have lit on a surface, they search for crevices and crawl into those. They attempt to overwinter in walls, attics, and the interior of homes and once inside will be attracted to windows and other light surfaces.
The two primary prongs of repulsing them are 1. sealing of all exterior cracks and crevices on a home with the use of caulk, foam, mortar, or other material, and 2. the use of exterior barrier insecticides at key times of the year. Once they are inside, vacuuming them up and disposing of the bag is about as effective as anything. In some instances, rooms can have cracks sealed to minimize entry. Other methods to reduce their numbers include shading the house to make the warm walls too cool to be attractive, and painting the exterior in ONLY darker colors.
As the insecticide barrier is on the outside of the home and minimally penetrating exterior cracks, it is not as problematic as insecticide within the interior. Still, all precautions should be taken upon application and a curing period allowed where children are kept away from the immediate area. Reports are that the pyrethroid insecticides are the most effective, but Ortho Max also gets points. My favorite, boric acid, is NOT particularly effective.
Apply insecticide with a garden sprayer set to give a stream rather than a spray. Spray the gaps that you see, including soffit areas, around windows and shutters, and the gaps in clapboards. As these critters are seeking shelter from rain and winds, go heavy in any such areas and only lightly on areas that will be washed during the first rain. If you have extra spray left after treating cracks and crevices, use it on the light areas or areas near a color change.
The primary time to spray is early fall, just prior to crops being harvested. You will likely need to spray again as needed, with the extreme cold of winter being the only time that spray will be ineffectual.
If you have severe and continuing infestations, you may need to call in a professional who has access to stronger insecticides, and you may want to invest in a small battery powered vacuum that can easily get around windows and be emptied. If you have an older house where gaps are numerous and sealing is impractical, these will be beetles you control and live with, but do not eradicate.
Regarding Ticks and pets: If you don't have any trees in the outdoor areas where your pets roam, keeping your lawn mowed may completely prevent a tick problem. We have three dogs, and never find ticks on them, unless I let the grass in our back yard grow too high. Furthermore, using a flea/tick preventative such as Frontline or Revolution will drastically reduce the chances of your dogs getting fleas and ticks on them. We have always used Revolution, buy still get ticks with high grass.
Regarding Ticks and pets: If you don't have any trees in the outdoor areas where your pets roam, keeping your lawn mowed may completely prevent a tick problem. We have three dogs, and never find ticks on them, unless I let the grass in our back yard grow too high. Furthermore, using a flea/tick preventative such as Frontline or Revolution will drastically reduce the chances of your dogs getting fleas and ticks on them. We have always used Revolution, buy still get ticks with high grass.
We do have a tick problem here, we can just walk though the yard and end up with one on us. We do keep the grass in good condition and very short, but we also have forest on both sides of the house. That is why we make sure our little guy always gets his monthly tick and flea tablet. I think our guy has had maybe, one tick since we moved here. We also do our own spraying for inside creatures. Hubby sprays about every month or six weeks, and we have very few problems. Once in awhile we see a roach or some other creapy crawler. Usually the centipedes like to come in, but they die within a short period.
Never had bedbugs, but I did have a flea problem when a feral kitten showed up. I dusted his traveling path and bed with diatomaceous earth and have not had a problem since. Frontline stopped working for my dogs so I switched to Advantage. DE does not work when wet but does dry out and stays in the soil. I also use DE to dust my chickens and their coop. I only use FOOD GRADE DE. Also can be used as a wormer and helps clean out your colon.....great stuff.
We live in a 20 year-old home that had brown recluse spiders when we moved in. I haven't sprayed much inside, but use the sticky spider traps all over the house especially in the spring, summer, and fall months. I've also been known to prowl the house at night with a flashlight, and kill them. They are on the walls occasionally, but tend to like the floor best. I also thoroughly vacuum corners, baseboards, windows, and under furniture every week or two weeks.
Do the recommended pesticides and boric acid work on brown recluse spiders? I've read that since their legs are longer than many spiders, somehow they resist pesticides more than most spiders.
Harvesters (Daddy Longlegs) are the spiders with the really long legs. Glue traps are fine. You are doing all the right things. With spiders you are killing food sources more than going after the spider directly. Spiders are NOT insects and insecticides may not have much of an effect.
I'll admit, even with my knowledge, I was bitten by one a few weeks back. Last time was in Florida, and the durned thing left a divot. There is a Chinese "drawing cream" that seems to be working on this one. Also, a raw potato slice can be used as a drawing poultice over the bite. Tiny steroid shots around the bite can help those who tolerate steroids. The mainstream medical thought is right out of the middle ages or worse. Cut and antibiotic. Not a good idea in many cases.
I was hoping for good, solid, death rays for killing since it's coming up on spider season. (I HATE those things!) Already I've had to kill three...
The only thing I know that works is to spray that horrid poison (Raid like substance), around the door ways, windows and baseboards. I then post signs outside:
"Warning! Spiders not welcome inside this house! Violators will be shot!"
If necessary, I stick their crumpled remains on little toothpicks and stick those in to the ground as an added warning to any other eight legged MORON who thinks about entering.
I have no insect problem...I get no insects in the house...just spiders. WHY! Why is that necessary! I want a sure fire way to rid myself of them once and for all barring burning down the fricken house and yard.
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