I’ve recently noticed that my home is crawling with lady bugs when the weather changes. This isn’t anything new; they do it about once or twice every year when the seasons change. They come in through window cracks, open doors, and sometimes through cracks in the wall or siding. To put it bluntly, these guys are coming in and there’s really no stopping them. Or is there? I’m not one to kill every bug I see; they all have a part to play—but I also don’t want my windowsills to get crowded with dead, smelly ladybugs throughout the fall and winter seasons. This is why I get proactive with my ladybug cure-alls to make sure they get out and stay out. Here are some ways I’ve found to protect your home from these nasty, yet cute, little critters.
Start Natural
If you’re worried about harmful chemicals—don’t worry, I am too—then you can start with some basic natural deterrence methods and see how well they work. Spray some menthol or camphor around windows and doorframes. These smells are a turn-off from ladybugs and they’ll want to avoid any area covered in this stuff. Menthol will be strong at first, but if you stick to the outsides of your doors and windows, you can deter them from even getting anywhere near any entrances to your home. This might not be strong enough, so you may want to consider finding a non-hazardous chemical treatment for them. A good DIY project right around this time would be to fill in any cracks or holes around any entrances to your house as well as replace weather stripping. The overall goal here would be to make it hard for any creature to get into your home.
Chemical Warfare
I don’t usually like to suggest the use of chemicals as a solution to anything, but when it comes to ladybug infestation, you can really go a long way by treating your ladybug-prone areas with a non-hazardous treatment. You’ll want to be especially careful if your have young kids or pets, as they’re typically always getting into things they shouldn’t be. Sprinkle some diatomaceous earth powder around the base of your home—this will not only prevent them from getting in at ground level, but also prevent them from getting in period. If you’re not having any luck so far, go for the chemicals. Phantom Aerosol is an active killer that takes maybe a day or two to fully kill off the bugs in the application areas. Don’t spray it on everything, though; just get it in the areas that the ladybugs like to hang out. Whatever you do, do not put a bug bomb into your home.
When War is Raging
You can lay down your chemical treatments to deter them from even stepping foot into your home, but if you’re already got an infestation on your hands, then the best thing to do is get out the big guns: the vacuum cleaner. Ladybugs don’t have a very long lifespan and odds are they’re going to die before they find enough sustenance—if any at all—to stay alive. By the time they’re dead, you can’t really expect a chemical treatment to make them disappear so in the case of an already imposed infestation, start vacuuming. This isn’t the worst thing to do even if you have laid a good preventive treatment because sometimes these pesky things will still bombard your home. That nasty smell they bring with them attracts other ladybugs, so there will likely be more coming if there are already some in your home. Vacuum regularly even if you don’t have an infestation because you never know where they might curl up and die.
