Asian Lady Beetles Invade Campus

By Kim Sams

They're multi-colored, spotted, and fly into your home uninvited. Many people at first glance may think these insects are lady bugs. According to Dr. Gary Dodson, a professor of Entomology at Ball State University there is no difference between lady bugs and the annoying Asian Lady beetles infesting the interior walls all over campus."Lady bugs is just a misleading common name for all lady or lady bird beetles," Dodson says.

Where

Just like its name this insect came from northeastern Asia.

How

Records date back as far as 1916 when the insect was first established here in America. It wasn’t until the ‘80s people started seeing more and more of them towards the northern part of the country.

Why

Scientists introduced the bug because they are “predators on other insects that are found on plants,” says Dr. Dodson. There feeding locations are unavailable once the cold weather starts to occur. Because of this they begin to search for warmer places, such as the buildings on campus including residence halls.

Damage

These Asian Lady Beetles can do no harm to furniture or food in the home. They can become quite a nuisance at times.

Asian Lady Beetles will creep into the crevices of walls and almost seem to disappear. Do not be fooled by this sly tactic. They are simply hibernating until the weather is warmer to come out of hiding. So, be careful not to scare them.

Smell

That awful smell is because of the handling of the beetles. Like a skunk when the animal is disturbed it excretes a disturbing smell.

Pest control

Vacuuming is recommended for control of these bugs. Just remember to empty the bag when finished so as not to facilitate a place for them to hibernate. Chemicals can be used sometimes. To kill already exposed Asian lady beetles, a spray or fog may be used. This can he a hassle because this treatment has no affect on the beetles still inside the wall. There is also the extra step of removing all the dead beetles from the home. As annoying as these insects might be, people have to live with them. On the bright side, they do help control the infestation of predators on other plants.