| Remember when ladybugs were cute? With the infestation of the look-alike Asian beetle beginning in 1994 they have pretty much lost their appeal. This last weekend they showed up in droves because on the first warm day (65° or more) following freezing or close to freezing nights, the beetles swarm to find a place to spend the winter. In their native habitat in Asia, they all flock to cliffs and rock outcroppings. Here in Minnesota they are drawn to sunny sides of tall buildings with light and dark contrasting paint, close to wooded areas. That exactly describes my house. Their attraction to my situations is confirmed by the vast numbers covering my house, my dog and me. Our door opens in…those that can’t find an opening just swing in with the door and drop on the floor of the entry way. From their make their way to the bathroom, a favorite nesting place. |   |
 Asian Beetle (not cute)   Lady Bug (cute) | The way to tell the difference between those cute little ladybugs and the stinky Asian beetles is to look closely at their heads. The Asian beetles have an "M" on them (for "menace," I think).  Baby Wrenn in costume (Cute as a bug's ear!) |
| Irritating as they are, like the ladybugs we all knew and loved as kids, Asian beetles eat aphids so they are a good thing for agriculture. In their defense, they don’t eat into wood or fabrics or food. They say they don’t damage property, but they do sometimes leave a trail on walls. On the other hand, besides being everywhere and in everything, they stink. They secrete a yellow fluid from their legs that not only stinks but will stain light colored clothing and surfaces (and from the one that got in my drinking glass in the night, I can tell you it tastes pretty bad, too). They also bite. The extension office assures us that they are not known to carry diseases, nor do they inject any venom. They say they are biting just to see if we are food. And that’s supposed to make us feel better? I’d say it’s fodder for a sequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s, The Birds (which terrified me). |   |
I’ve always heard the infestation was a result of a Dept. of Agriculture intentional release in Wisconsin. It was an intentional release but much farther south. Apparently, the U of M extension agency gets a lot of calls and complaints. The website is very careful to point out, “Multicolored Asian lady beetles were never introduced into Minnesota through deliberate releases, although they did move into the state from nearby areas.” In fact, the website seems perhaps a bit defensive. Later in the same paragraph in bold font it reiterates, “These lady beetles are not and never have been part of any release program in Minnesota. (http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/multicolored-asian-lady-beetles/)
The best thing you can do to keep them out of your house is to seal every gap greater than 1/8 inch — around doors, windows, cracks in the siding, roof and soffit vents, kitchen and fan vents. If they do get in, your most effective weapon is the vacuum cleaner, just make sure you seal the bag and take it out of your house because vacuuming only captures them, it doesn’t necessarily kill them.
They are a nuisance this time of year, to say the least. I’m all for them eating aphids in the garden in the summer, but I wish they would go find a cliff in the fall to spend the winter rather than in my house.
They are a nuisance this time of year, to say the least. I’m all for them eating aphids in the garden in the summer, but I wish they would go find a cliff in the fall to spend the winter rather than in my house.
