Right after the first frost (and again in February and March), homes in Connecticut may be invaded by hundreds or thousands of Multi-Colored Asian Lady Beetles. These orange or mustard colored spotted beetles are also called the Halloween Beetle (because of their color and timing).
These beneficial insects were introduced by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture as a biological control, and first recorded in Connecticut in 1994. They will dine on more than 50 species of agricultural/landscape pests such as aphids and scales. An adult, which can live 2-3 years, can consume 90 to 270 aphids a day.
Unfortunately, because of their habit of swarming homes while looking for a place to overwinter, they can become a nuisance. They crawl inside through cracks and crevices and often cluster in corners by window or door frames. Fortunately, they will not reproduce indoors, nor will they eat wood, building materials, or human food. Aerosol foggers or "bug bombs" will not control lady beetles. The following methods are more effective:
Keep them outside
- Before autumn arrives, seal cracks and openings around windows, doors, siding, and utility pipes with a quality silicone or silicone-latex caulk or weather stripping. Larger gaps can be sealed with urethane foam, glass wool or stainless steel wool, etc.
- Install tight-fitting door sweeps or thresholds at all exterior entry doors. Around garage doors, install a rubber seal rather than vinyl, which seals poorly in cold weather.
- Install insect screening (20-mesh maximum) over attic and exhaust vents. Replace and repair damaged door and window screens using regular window screening (about 18x16 mesh size).
Collect them indoors
- Don't crush or swat them--the beetles may discharge a stinky yellow fluid that can stain walls, paint, and fabrics. (All lady beetles do this reflex bleeding from their leg joints when alarmed – it is a protective mechanism to keep them from getting eaten.)
- Gently collect beetles using a broom and dustpan. Duct or sticky tape can also be used.
- Use a vacuum cleaner or shop-vac to "bag" the beetles inside a knee-high nylon stocking that has been inserted into the extension hose or wand and secured with a rubber band. As soon as the vacuum cleaner is turned off, remove the stocking so that the captured beetles can't escape.
Repel or trap them
- Camphor may repel them short term. Put camphor cakes or crystallized camphor in a knee-hi nylon stocking. Knot the stocking and hang it on the outside of the house near known entry points, or put cotton balls containing a few drops of camphor essential oil in the corner of the windows. Re-apply oil often. Camphor cakes can be found on the web at http://www.kilianhardware.com. Camphor crystals can be obtained from Stony Mountain Botanicals, 155 N. Water St., Loundenville, OH, 888-994-4857, http://www.wildroots.com.
- Make or buy a special trap. Traps should be placed in the room that is most infested, and operated in a dark room/at night, and placed in the room that is most infested. Leave the light on all night. Put cornstarch, talc or baby powder on the wings/sides of the trap so the beetles drop easily into the collection container, and empty the container often.
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