New windows, Painted and caulked the siding but I guess there is a proper time of year to actually spray the outside of the house to either stop them or not attract them?

Do I hire a home pest control for that? It is a 2 story 140 year old Victorian with a tall attic.

THX

There really isn't a specific time to spray but more a time frame. In general this will be  just prior to them emerging in the spring and then again in the fall, just before it gets cold and they start to show up on the outside of your home. Remember, any of the treatments mentioned in our ASIAN LADYBUG CONTROL ARTICLE will last 1 month or more. This means if you have a good treatment in place you'll have a barrier that will effectively keep them out for several weeks. Ideally you should take note of the time and temps you started seeing them this year and be sure to apply something next year beforehand. So for example, if you were to treat March 23rd and they started to emerge anytime from then through to April 20-30th, the treatment would affect them and could very well knock them out. But if you don't see any by the 30th of April, I'd do another application to make sure your home would be protected just in case they were late to emerge which can happen from season to season.

In the fall, it's best to get your application done September, around the beginning of the month, just before they start trying to come inside to hibernate. I also recommend treating again the first week of October. This insures you'll have a fresh application of active in place that will keep them away till winter sets in.

The two sprays that work well are listed in our article. If you want the stronger option, go with the CYPERMETHRIN. It will kill them if they choose to crawl through it and does a good job of repelling them as well so they tend to stay away where it's applied. The NBS INSECT REPELLENT isn't a pesticide so it won't kill anything. However, it's plant oil actives will chase away ladybugs, wasps and other invasive pests for sure. For some reason this mixture is an excellent repellent and could have been added to your paint recently used when you had your windows replaced. I'm sure it would have worked.

As for the whether or not to hire a service company; this is your call. We sell to professionals, homeowners, commercial businesses and basically anyone that has a pest related problem. Our business model is simple; follow our directions with the products we recommend and you too can do your own pest control. The bottom line is if you're a "do it yourselfer", we're for you. But if you're one to hire out for work to be done around the home, get the service company because in the end, it is work.

Here are direct links to the above mentioned information and products:

http://www.asianladybug.com/asian-lady-bug-control

http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/cypermethrin.html

http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/repellents/nbs-repellent-insect-spray

jonathan

www.bugspray.com

Thanks

We get this question quite a bit. The best time to spray is when they get active. But just when do they get active? There isn't one magical time and throughout the country it does vary. Generally it will depend on the local temperature but other factors are important too. The best advice we can give is to make sure you have some applied just prior to them emerging. It's also good to retreat in 3-4 weeks following the first application. So for example, here in GA they've been active for the past 2-3 weeks. We usually recommend spraying the last week of February, around the 20th, to insure you've got something out ready for when they get active. We also recommend treating again in the middle of March. This will carry you through till April 15th and usually by then they're gone.

For Indiana, I'd say you need to spray some CYPERMETHRIN by March 23rd and then again April 15th and lastly (if needed), again in the middle of May. You are usually about 3-4 weeks behind us so this should cover you. And remember the treatment is good for several weeks after it's applied so as long as you've sprayed you should be Okay even if it's 2 weeks after the treatment. This is always better compared to waiting and missing the initial releases which many times go unnoticed. Remember, for every 1 you see inside there are 5-10 that escape outside.

Now for inside the home; drop ceilings should be treated with the Phantom. These "higher up" locations will filter dust down into living spaces which isn't a good so hold off using any there. But aerosol applied to these spaces should hold up well and the PHANTOM is odorless so it's ideal for such a locations. I'd also use it in cracks/crevices throughout the living spaces, around light fixtures and other places mentioned in our LADY BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE. Again, it's odorless design is a real plus when needing to spray in living spaces.

Lastly, the DELTAMETHRIN DUST will provide residual 6-12 months and really only needs to be done annually if done correctly. Timing doesn't matter since it lasts so long and only a little is needed to impact these beetles.

Here are direct links to these items:

http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page187.html

http://www.bugspray.com/item/phantom_aerosol.html

http://www.bugspray.com/articles98/ladybugs.html

http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page293.html

jonathan

www.bugspray.com

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 PHANTOM AEROSOL 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.