I live in a dorm room on a college campus. Recently, I went home for fall break for four days and came back to find ladybugs in my window. There were about two dozen or so, though that number seems to have decreased without me doing anything. Still, I would like to get rid of them faster. I've read through your article on how to get rid of them, but I don't think any of those solutions are practical for such a small space as a dorm. Do you have any recommendations for what I can do?
Dormitories make great winter lodges for ladybugs and we get reports of them having ladybug infestations quite frequently. Dormitories are generally large, have lots of cracks and crevices and because they are kept warm all winter, ladybugs naturally find them to be a good place to overwinter. Once inside, they'll typically accumulate around windows or lights on "warm" days. Expect this to happen in early fall and late winter but there will be many days in between where they come out in the middle of winter as well. When active, expect to see them hang around the windows and again, if lights are on, around the light bulbs as they are a ready source of heat.
For such areas, the traditional treatment program listed in our ASIAN LADYBUG CONTROL article isn't practical since you can't really get to where they are nesting. Additionally, you cannot stop the lady bugs from invading your room since they could be coming from so many areas you won't be able to treat. But you can install some WINDOW TRAPS as well as LIGHTED TRAPS. Both will do a great job of collecting the invasive lady bugs as they emerge on any given day and will require little to no maintenance to keep in the room. And both traps can be taken with you from year to year should you end up in another room that has a similar problem.
Filed under dormitory by 
I need some help before buying your ladybug traps. It seems the two best for me are the window traps or the lighted trap. I have purchased and used your CYPERMETHRIN outside and the air devil inside. The kill is great, but I still have a lot of bugs in an old farm house getting in and dying all over. The main problem as you know, is the south side of the house and the windows. Particulars on the house are as below:
· 110 yr old farm house
· 2 story, white siding
· Infestation on south side by windows
We would like to trap as many as possible so as not having to vacumn 2-3 times a day.
1. Window traps seem like a great idea since they mostly seem to be there.
2. But you said the lighted jar is most efficient
3. And I read the pheromones are not always effective
4. Cost is not so much a factor
Any input you have would be helpful. I am planning on sealing outside as much as possible.
E.M.
Use both. Since these traps differ in design and where they are typically installed, it's usually smart to take advantage of what each does well. This will provide the best results in the long run. Remember, ladybugs won't always try to escape so WINDOW TRAPS won't work when they're content to stay inside. Additionally, the pheromone doesn't always work but that's Ok; just having the trap on the window will usually be more than enough to get them even when they aren't attracted to the scent.
Since ladybugs commonly seem to prefer one room over all others, installing LIGHTED TRAPS out in open areas of these rooms will be your best approach when trying to reduce this activity. I would say to get at least 2 so you can be sure to have decent coverage but if you're seeing the problem in all your rooms, more may be needed. Lastly, be sure to move these traps around as needed to insure any room with significant activity has a trap.
Lastly, sealing up entry points to the inside will really help. The PUR FOAM does a great job of sealing cracks and voids and is ideal for this task. Apply it with the PUR GUN and make sure all visible spaces are filled. Based on the structures age, I'm sure there are a lot of entry points so it may end up taking quite a bit of product to do the job right. But if done properly, you should be able to both keep out invasive insects like ladybugs as well reduce heat and cold losses to the outside. This means in the end, the effort, time and cost invested in doing a good foam application will be a worthwhile investment.
Filed under ladybugs by
With lady bugs showing on only the inside front door of my home on the wall, what product do you recommend?
R.G.
Ladybugs are an invasive pest which routinely migrate into homes and other structures. If you are only seeing 2-5 per "fall", there is probably no reason to panic. But as our online LADYBUG CONTROL ARTICLE explains, what starts out innocent enough can many times become a full fledged major infestation in 1-2 years. Since you don't provide any specifics on the history of your "problem", I'm not sure any treatment is needed or warranted. If I only had a few on one front wall of my home I'd probably just vacuum them up and be done with them without any spraying being done. However, I'd also take some time to go outside and do a thorough inspection around the eaves, siding and other entry points where they may be entering. I'd like to know if there are any decent number accumulating out there from day to day. If I found 10-20 on any one side of my home, I'd definitely start spraying some of the CYPERMETHRIN to make sure the "trend" didn't continue. Failure to stop this pest where they are first entering means they'll just keep coming and this will surely lead to a major problem if left untreated.
And if after doing this treatment I was still finding a few on the inside walls of my home, I would then do a good inspection of my home both up in the attic and in other living spaces to make sure I wasn't missing any places where they may be nesting. If needed, I'd treat voids and other spaces with the DELTAMETHRIN DUST and keep some BAYGON AEROSOL closeby for use just in case. Remember, most all infestations start out as "just a few on the wall or ceiling" and before the homeowner knows where or how, there can be thousands! And if left untreated, it can most certainly turn into a full scale problem in just one or two seasons. The following video shows just how bad it can get if left untreated…
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Hi I found your article regarding ladybugs. We have a large infestation that comes back to our house once a year, and only outside. Which of the products do you recommend. Also we have a clothing moth problem, no matter what I seem to do, do you have anything for that? Thank you, A.D.
Asian Ladybugs will tend to return to homes where they've been active before. If left untreated, this will happen year after year as explained in our LADYBUG CONTROL ARTICLE. Though you may only see them active a few days during the fall, chances are high they are overwintering in the siding of the house somewhere. Once the home starts getting any decent population accumulating around key entry points, some will find their way into voids and other spaces on the structure. They do this looking for protection from the soon to arrive winter. Generally speaking, these invasions will get worse and worse from year to year.
To stop this from happening, apply CYPERMETHRIN to the outside of the home as explained in our article. This will stop them quickly and should repel them for several weeks as well. In extreme cases, more frequent treatments are needed. If you start seeing them inside the house, get some of Baygon Aerosol to use in the living area. Spot treatments should keep them minimized throughout the winter. But from what it sounds like in your message, they aren't that bad inside and you may not need to do this treating. If you get them good with the Cypermethrin now, before they get inside, you should be able to keep it this way.
Unlike your luck with the Ladybugs, the Clothing Moth issue will likely require some inside treatments. As you probably know, they like to nest on or around fabric and clothing and seem to be commonly found in closets. Review our online CLOTHING MOTH CONTROL ARTICLE for all the particulars on what you may have to do regarding your infestation. My guess is a good treatment of any rugs in the home as well as some closet/cothing work/cleaning will be needed.
If you still have any questions or concerns, please give us a call at 1.800.877.7290.
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I swear that I'm getting bites from ladybugs which are in my house but my husband thinks I'm crazy. Can you tell me if they bite and what I can do to get rid of them?
Ladybugs most certainly do bite! We've been told this from customers ever since we opened our doors almost 20 years ago. Though most people think of ladybugs as being a beneficial insect, the Asian Lady Bug can be a nuisance pest as described in our Asian Ladybug Control article. Once inside, you'll have to treat with the Air Devil Aerosol to get their numbers down till the spring. At that point you should do a good liquid treatment with the Cypermethrin to get them as they leave the structure. This will cut down on the numbers that return the following fall. At that time you'll need to treat again to keep them from coming back inside where they'll want to hibernate and harrass you all winter. Asian Ladybug bites will happen as you encounter them during this time so keeping them out in the fall is key. And in some cases it will take 1-2 years to completely be rid of them once your home is infested so hopefully you don't have that bad of an infestation just yet.
