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Oct
25
2009
Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly Away Home! Posted on 20:41, October 25th, 2009 by Small Town MommyAs I sit here and surf the Web read a bunch of blogs waste some time work my fingers to the bone, I am under attack. If you live anywhere near the northeast, you might have heard about the recent spate of ladybug attacks. The weather got warm and the lady bugs came from… alright, I don’t really know where they came from, but they came, and in the thousands. Except here to the Small Town Household. It started on Facebook. I read about friends all over the Small Town who were suddenly invaded by lady bugs. Then friends from New York and New Jersey were complaining about the sudden onslaught. Even Libby was affected. She claimed a group of ladybugs attacked her at school. I even went to lunch with friends and saw ladybugs all over the outside of the restaurant. Anyway, everyone was somehow impacted by this ladybug invasion. Except me. I kept looking for ladybugs. And saw not a one. Was I not cleaning the house up to ladybug standards? Did I stink with some scent that was only detectable by ladybugs? I couldn’t figure out why the ladybugs were ignoring me. Until this weekend. Finally, last night, I got to watch the cat chase a single, lonely ladybug. Then this afternoon, Small Town Daddy decided to open the door to let in some fresh air. And 100 ladybugs came with it. Rushing into my bedroom like I was offering free ice cream (or whatever ladybugs consider a special treat). Small Town Daddy grabbed the little hand held vacuum cleaner. The ladybugs laughed. He then went for the super Dyson. And sucked up ladybugs. Then he sucked up more ladybugs. Meanwhile the girls were screaming, trying to point out every ladybug for their daddy. And I pointed out that I bet he was sorry he had tried to open the window (I am nothing if not helpful). We still have a few stragglers hanging around (one is sitting on my computer screen, checking for typos), but I figure they deserve to stay since they outran the vacuum. Besides, it is nice for the cats to have something to chase. Does anyone know how long the ladybug onslaught lasts and a way to get them out of the house?
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Love this post, haha! Last weekend I went to a friend’s house and she had a ton of lady bugs, too (in Omaha). I didn’t realize that’s happening all over the US! So far I haven’t seen any in our house but if I do, I love your husband’s idea!
I keep the doors shut. Period! Also, they seem to all gravitate to the south side of the house, so if a door needs to be used, it is a north door. The next day we had a cold snap and now I have tons of dead lady bugs on the south porch!
My dad just waits it out. He tried vacuuming but to no avail. Maybe the cold weather will change things?
This is completely new to me! Ladybugs attacking? They seem so harmless. It’s like hearing someone’s getting attacked by teddy bears!
Ohhh, my aunt would give you such a hard time for vacuuming up all those ladybugs! They’re supposed to bring you good luck, you know. So she says.
We have a colony of ladybugs that congregate in the corners of the ceiling of our upstairs bathroom. They like the moisture from the showers and baths, apparently. But they’ve always minded their own business, and since our ceilings are like 12 feet high, we have to mind our own business, too. They disappear eventually.
Though I was surprised to see them – usually they show up in the spring. Mother Nature confused everyone by sending us spring temperatures this weekend for sure.
Ladybugs are pretty much the only bug that doesn’t bug me…
They eat aphids and mites, so they’re really our friends. 
i actually love ladybugs
though i have not experienced at all having 100 of them in the house. i get excited when i see them since i probably seldom see them at all, maybe too small to be noticed sometimes.
I guess if you have to be “infested” by something, cute little ladybugs are probably best! It could be worse… roaches, spiders, ants…
I’ll take the pretty ladybugs!
Let me finish laughing at the image of Small Town Daddy attacking the ladybugs with the vacuum.
Okay, sorry about that. We haven’t had any problems with them down here in NC. I used to hate them when I lived in FL. Our cars would be covered with them. It won’t last forever. You just have to get through it.
Well, at least Lady Bugs are pretty small and harmless. Here in NC we get jumping spiders. For a few weeks every year (normally in the summer) my front porch at night is a scary, scary place. They get in and it is horrific trying to catch them! I wish a Dyson would do it!
We’ve had a few ladybugs, but not and invasion. We’ve had some other type of bug that congregates all over our patio slider and inside the screen. They creep me out every morning.
looking for typos….. that cracked me up. I’ve been getting spiders lately. Gross.
Seriously, listen to Stacy’s aunt: ladybugs bring good luck. Or maybe it’s just the cats’ good luck when ladybugs arrive.
I don’t know, but I do know that I’m singing the “Ladybugs 12″ song from Sesame Street right now. “They talk about things likes furniture and rugs, and fire insurance for ladybugs….” Gees, I love that song.
When we lived in NJ we had a 1904 Victorian (loved that old money pit)and it had a resident colony of lady bugs. Every year in the Fall we could count on hundreds of them in the house. They are one of the few bugs that don’t bother me. We would lie in bed and watch them march into the corner of the bedroom and form some sort of modern art installation (what they were doing I don’t even want to imagine). Then they would just dry up whence I would vacuum the carcasses away.
They are pretty harmless and we wish we had more of them out here for the garden. They eat aphids.
I have no idea. But ladybugs are good for the garden, so I would be happy to have a few, if you need someplace to send your extras.
I’ve heard others complaining about lady bugs also but I haven’t had a problem with them. I’ve only seen a couple so far.
Thanks goodness we do not have ladybug problems, but if you have ever been to central Florida, we have the most annoying lizards, and the largest roaches in the world, or so I have been told, they are super gross!
Yeah, Small Town Daddy!!! My husband would have gently picked up each of the lady bugs (ugly, scary spiders, or any other bug that needs to be exterminated from the house!) and carefully tried to relocate every one of the little buggers back outside. I am usually shrieking at the top of my lungs “Kill it, it will give birth to a thousand more!) while he ignores me. Piper (doxie #2) and myself are highly allergic to spider bites and end up in our respective emergency rooms when bitten. But the man of the house in Casa de Berman so rarely gets to torture me and I believe he enjoys every moment of this! Get out the Dyson, big Daddy-you’re the best!!
ohhh all the left over lady bugs must know we are blog friends because what is not at your home is at mine!
Oh, this is a truly funny story! I live in NY and haven’t seen but one lady bug – maybe the city lights scare them away. I grew up in a smaller city, and was used to seeing them all the time.
I, too, find that they are the only bugs that don’t bug me, but maybe having 100 in my NYC apartment would change my mind!
most likely they are Asian lady beetles – they swarm by the tens of thousands. Unlike the domestic ladybug, the Asian variety leaves a yellow stain. It can bite. Worst of all, it stinks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/15/national/15bugs.html
good luck getting rid of them!