Question:
Harlequin ladybird/lady beetles....can someone please help me?
brandy97
2008-10-08 15:05:22 UTC
Can someone please help me.I have a really bad infestation of these horrible little things(really bad)and i need to know the best way to get rid of them or the best pesticide to use to kill them.I live on the second floor of an eleven story building and these things are all over my balcony and getting in through my bedroom windows etc(which i have already closed before anyone gives me that sarcastic bit of advice).Not only do they make my skin crawl but they,unlike the British 7-spot ladybird,have a tendency to come out of hibernation(from in the brickwork or walls)when you use your central heating in the winter(because they think hibernation time is over due to the heat) and when they can't find anything to eat they bite which can lead to an allergic reaction.This is not just worrying for me and my fiancee but we have an 18 month old puppy who wouldn't think twice about eating one and this scares me.Please help me to get rid of my problem....and no unhelpful answers please!
Three answers:
dakini
2008-10-09 16:20:01 UTC
First of all we are talking about Harmonia axyridis, also known as the multicoloured Asian lady beetle or harlequin lady beetle because of the species' tendency to vary in color.



You can do several things to control them:



1. The long-term solution to eliminating your beetle problem in the house is prevention. Inspect the outside walls, especially sunlit side, make repairs where necessary and apply an insecticide registered for outdoor use.



2. Mechanical removal by smashing, swatting or crushing them is not a good idea because their body fluid can leave a permanent stain on carpets, curtains, walls, etc. But lady beetles will stick to duct tape or similar sticky tape, which then can be discarded. Although this trapping may be practical to remove only small numbers of lady beetles.



3.Use a vacuum cleaner. An effective way to eliminate large numbers of lady beetles is to use a vacuum cleaner or shop-vac to "bag" the beetles. The beetles can be captured inside a knee-high nylon stocking that has been inserted into the extension hose or wand and secured in place with a rubber band (see http://knox.tennessee.edu/pubs/Knox/Asian%20Multicolored%20lady%20beetle.pdf ). As soon as the vacuum cleaner is turned off, be sure to remove the stocking so that the captured beetles cannot escape. As you remove it, the rubber band closes around the stocking, effectively "bagging" the lady beetles. You then can discard

them.



4. You can spray them with a pesticide. I would`nt recommend this, because you have a child and the chemical will be re-circulated throughout the home.



For further information look here http://www.ipm.msu.edu/beetleFAQ.htm

http://www.pestcontrolcanada.com/INSECTS/ladybugs.htm
prom
2016-10-22 08:07:21 UTC
Harlequin Ladybird Infestation
jasonv13th
2008-10-08 15:58:24 UTC
Firstly The Harlequin Ladybird Survey http://www.harlequin-survey.org/default.htm would be very interested to hear your story as they are trying to track the problem and would appreciate photos etc. As for killing them I'm not sure of the best way to approach it but it is reported that pyrethrum acts as a good natural insecticide to kill and repel them. However i'm not sure where you get pyrethrum but i do know that it is abundant in the plant genus Chrysanthemum. So maybe using the pollen or crushed plant pulp as a sprinkle on your window sill or crevices?

Hope this was some help


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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