This would explain why some people found ladybugs inside their houses, but doesn't help with what I saw yesterday at a friend's house in Woodbridge. The sunny southern side of his light-colored house was crawling with thousands of ladybugs [yes I know they're beetles but they are still ladybugs to me]. Maybe they had sought shelter in prior days, but it looked to me like they were coming out to play in the warm sun.

The only thing worse then the smell of 1000s and 1000s of dead ladybugs is trying to vacuum all of those carcasses out of the loose fiberglass in the attic.

yea i saw the same thing in milford. the "lady beetles" were swarming all over a white house.Some also appear to have a yellowish crust on them. Matbe they are sick?

The yellowish crust stuff is probably the dried, smelly liquid that ladybugs excrete as a defense mechanism.

Geoff,
Thanks for the brief explanation of why there are so many lady beetles around. There are literally hundreds outside my office and yes, we are in a light colored building! Our question - how long will they be swarming our doors! LOL
Thanks for all you do,
Bev Matias

I started to see them in my apartment about (3) days ago. Last night I came home and caught 62 of them inside my apartment. I did relocate them outside away from the home. They are very pretty and not one is alike. They have bright red colors and tinted orange.

A whole bunch of them ate a squirrel in my yard! How can I get them to attack my pesky neighbor?

Sneak some aphids on him, they'll have him picked clean to the bone in no time

Hey thanks. You were right. Now I have a nifty halloween skeleton to hang from the tree!

hey i had an aunt bee.but she was a lot nicer then you? i think, i hope your not her.....,

I agree. I have a individuals to put on the list.

If you find out how...let me know. I have pesky neighbors too!

Yes, the lady bugs are out in full force! They completed covered my front door today and now my kids are afraid to enter the house after school! Any solutions out there??? Tempted to hang up several yards of sticky fly paper around my door!

be happy the kids don't want to come in the house!

I think it would be helpful if you taught your children about these bugs. They will not harm you and, in fact, they are wonderful taking care of lots of bugs that are not good for gardens. You can pick them up without any fear of biting or stinging. They are the good bugs.

Yes, they are harmless and delightful little creaturs. My 3 and 6 year old sons love to hold them and look at their different markings. They really are a wonder ! Planning a trip outside tomorrow to collect/observe several in a jar, as many as we can find, before returning them.
I will not let anyone kill a ladybug on my house; they get taken outside :)

See I always heard Ladybugs were good luck!!
I wouldn't mind a few in my apartment.

I woke up yesterday morning in my yellow house in Guilford when I got home yesterday afternoon I thought someone had painted it RED. How long will this last?

Can you tell me anything about an infestation of Stink bugs....We have those along with the lady bugs.

Leave them alone, Geoff says - Let me add IF they are outside. If they get in, Get rid of them fast. I had them 2 years ago and I may have had 500 of them in my upper floor. They were disgusting, and they stink horribly if you get enough of them.

I tried building fancy traps and the sticky paper (which they don't stick to very well) - The only thing that worked was to vacuum them up, and bring them outside ASAP - they WILL crawl out of the vacuum.

Have you figured out any way to get rid of them inside the house? They are excreting something nasty on my walls and curtains. HELP! I'd rather not repaint my white house.

what do they call a male ladybug??
Wolcott had quite alot of these little buggers there were hundreds hanging out on our shed

We have quite a few of them in Norwich each Fall. What I don't understand is if they are looking for somewhere to winter over, why do all the ones that get inside my home die? I have a bathroom in a doggy dormer on the second floor and we always get a few in that window. Last season I left them where they lay to see if they'd come alive in the spring, but they did not.

The lady beetles are not only in the state of connecticut. My daughter and her family lives in Staten Island, NY and she said her whole neighborhood is full of them too.

I had 6 of them in a spare bedroom and that was enough for me to freak out I could NOT imagine having a wall full like everyone else said! I feel for you! You cannot leave that many bugs alone in the house! Yikes! My husband caught them and put them outside where they belong!!!

why are they here the should not they r stupid and gross!!!!!!!

Please, learn grammar and the english language...then, you won't sound so stupid when making an ignorant comment like that.

Before you're too hard on the other writer -- an English teacher should always capitalize a proper noun as in "english" --- more like English! Just a thought.

Thanks for the update, was told by my neighbor that our place was covered in ladybug's during the day (didn't see it first hand) and thought it was a local outbreak nothing to worry about and this is in Watertown! Then at work today a lady in Stamford was telling me here place was covered too. So it was a state wide outbreak of sorts.

Why not tell us how to kill them and get rid of the pests that excrete foul smelling orange/yellow that stains your ceilings, clothes, etc.

There must be something that kills these pests.

I know they eat small bugs, but hundreds of ladybugs flying around is annoying, and by the way my house is dark shade of blue.

Lets leave the little ladies (or guys) alone! They have a right to live too!!!

You wouldn't say this if you had THOUSANDS of them! They love to swarm around the chandelier during dinner. Pretty gross when they drop on the table and you have to cover your food! I used to love them, too. I believe they belong outside; but when they come in in such droves - it's digusting! We should have a right to get rid of them when they are inside! I wish I knew the quickest, easiest way to do that!

Your right. I had the same problem. they hides in the cracks. it just make my skin crawl. I wish I knew what I can buy to get rid of these things. they say they are suppose to be good luck. but I don't need that much luck.do anybody have any suggestions.

Grow up and deal with it!

If they are good luck then I must have relaly bad luck. My car blew the head gasket and then the rear main seal. The lady bugs did not bring me any luck.

Geoff, can you explain why their odor is so strong at this time for these little beetles?. (just pick one up then smell your hand). I thought is was a pheromone thing related to mating but that doesn't match your explaination regarding migration.

A neighbor just told me the ladybugs are poisonous if dogs eat them. Can anybody confirm that>

Just another comment about getting rid if them. I don't mind the ones outside, they don't bother me, but once they are inside they are in real jeopardy. I use a very small paper cup filled with soapy water and just scoop them up. They fall in easy, especially from a window or screen or wall etc. That way I never touch them and get their odor on my hands. They always seem to go to the large sliding glass door facing the sun, where I am waiting for them.

We live in a dark brown condo in Hamden, yet over the last few days I have seen 20+ ladybugs in my room alone. When will they be gone? And how do I kill the ones that get in?

Diazinon from ortho would kill them but since it kills everything and is dangerous to humans if not properly sprayed the product has been taken off the market to non licensed people. I would suggest RAID.

BUG BE GONE bought at Lowes worked 90% not many of those buggers today

Growing up, I was told that Lady Bugs were good luck. You should never kill one. When you find it in your house you open a window, and as you let it go, you are supposed to say, "Lady Bug, Lady Bug, Fly away home, your house is on fire and your children need you. It didn't go quite that way, but in this day, I felt I should not put what the last sentence was that I was taught. It wasn't nasty. When the first frost comes, they will disappear as will those nasty stink bugs. Yes the Lady Bug, does have an odor but it comes right off with a little soap and water.
We found our Black Walnut tree is where they begin their lives. it was about a month ago in September that we first noticed the cocoon that they were coming from. There were hundreds on that tree. Thanks for the comments everyone.

My son had a great time collecting them and then decided to see what would happen when he introduced a few to his gerbil. Turns out that gerbils EAT lady beetles. We kept the rest outside and enjoyed wondering why there were so many. Thanks for the explanation!

Geoff,
you teased on broadcast that you would explain these swarms of ladybugs, but you have only provided the"what" not the "why". Winter migration & shelter seeking does not suffice to explain these huge #'s and why they are flying north (won't they fly south in winter, like monarch butterflies?)I have observed a few dozen every winter inside, but we are talking hundreds & hundreds this year!

I CANNOT BELIEVE THE PANSIES TALKING ABOUT BEING AFRAID OF THESE BUG/BEETLES

gimme a break for pete's sake

I agree.....GROW UP!

We are not afraid of them, they are annoying kinda like you with your all caps in the comments. They also excrete this yellow stuff that smells really bad.

i also was swarmed with ladybugs the other day, honestly the good luck part didnt work this time....i crashed my car in the driveway when i got out is when i noticed like a million of them swarming around and crawling on my house and on my car.

If these pests are good bugs and are supposed to kill aphids, then they arenot doing a very good job if they are around in the Fall and attacking my house instead. As for male lady bugs? They are clled horny. Just look at the job they've done in reproducing. As for getting rid of them? Spray the entire outside of the house, roof included, and property with a liquid spray that hooks upto your garden hose and spray away.

That was a very interesting article. Lady bugs are pretty so I don't mind seeing them. Thanks for the info. Oh and I am very happy that the Phillies made it to the World Series. Go Phillies!!!!

Thanks for the info- I too enjoy seeing the arrival of the ladybugs. After all, they don't hurt anything, eat the aphids and are infinitely more attractive than some large hairy spider with questionnable markings... Now if only they controlled the Japanese Beetle population....

Geoff,
Why are there so many of these critters at this time of year? They come in mass each year at about this time.
As they are red/orange, are they a sign from nature indicating that the Great Pumpkin is about to arrive?

I live in Oxford in a dark brown house and every year my front door which is white gets covered inside and out with lady beetles. It happened yesterday but today they are all gone. I never really get too many inside so I try to send them back out and know that it will pass fast.

Delightful?!?! Yes, ladybugs CAN be "delightful," when there are only a FEW of them here and there, but NOT when hundreds, thousands, of them swarm your house inside and out twice a year! My vacuum cleaner has been working overtime the past couple of days sucking up the little nuisances. Live ladybugs, dead ladybugs (ICK!!) EVERYWHERE!!! That is NOT "delightful," it's DISGUSTING!!!

I've lived in Connecticut most of my life. I grew up here and I don't recall these twice-yearly (April and October) ladybug invasions when I was a kid. This has been happening just within the past 10-15 years or so.

The one thing I look for with ladybugs is coming across what I call a "sports" model -- one that has a black shell with red spots instead of the usual red shell with black spots. It's kind of like finding a four-leaf clover. You don't find one very often.

Climate change is part of the changes in nature. The climate is warmer. Althoguh the northeast is currently in a freeze. The overall climate is warmer now then it was 15 years ago. That has to have some kind of affect on the different creatures that live in nature. It is not just lady bugs either. I have noticed an increase in the number of spiders and also moths specifically the white moth.

I have 1000's in my brown house and this is the 4th year. We think we have gotten rid of them and they come back... but this year is the first time I have live ones... usually they are just dead and they do stink... Please give any advice to rid my house of them. Thank you

Kathy Radin

Rub some peanut butter on a friend, and send them ou near the lady bugs. It is a great sight. Everyone try it.

We've lived in Ct for the past 9 years and twice a year we have to deal with these little critters. We thought that our house was built on an ancient lady bug burial ground or something. I don't mind them outside but when they get in that is another story. There were so many hitting the house the other day that it sound like it was raining out. Thanks for all the other comments. At least we know that we aren't alone.

i also read that these beatles release a phermone that attracts lady bugs from up 1/4 mile away!! i must of had 1000 or more on my light color vinayl siding.

Very helpful. It is unbelievable. I can't wait for them to leave.

I just want to know how long do lady beetles live. I counted 150 in my living room and the front of my house looks like a mini paint ball fight went on

These lady bugs are cute, but they are swarming my living room and my ceiling is very high so I can't reach them, they are truly grossing me out. Please,Please tell me how to get rid of them.

Hey Ge-off I killed every ladybug I saw in and outside my house. Those things are dirty. I rather have a wild wolf in my house than 1000 nasty ladybugs.

I've never had more than one ladybug (also known as ladybird beetles) in my house at a time.....

the vacuum cleaner sounds like a good way to take them back outside where they belong. I take the dead squirrel with a grain of salt.

In any case, they do less damage than the insects they eat, all of which can mess up your garden (eating all your blossoms....)

And I doubt the population explosion ends at the border....

I think they are beautiful for the most part-considering im afraid of bugs- and i do think they are good luck but i have to say i was really freaked out earlier- i was carving a pumpkin and one flew right at my face-I almost stabbed myself with the pumpkin carver!Thats the last time I carve a pumpkin outside!My daughter really seems to be enjoying them tho

I got to say I love them. Not only are they in my house. i saw them in the ladies room at Danbury Hospital. just goes to show they don't care what the building is they have a job to do. and I love checking out how each is spotted differently then the others.. Not to mention they are good and cause us humans no harm. Although my Step Mom insists she was bit by one. (still have a hard time with that one)
Any way I look forward to this time of year just to see them all.

What job do they have to do in the Danbury Hospital ladies room? I have a hard time with that one.

I filled my shop vac with water and sucked up every bug that I saw. It has a lot better suction than the house vac and don't have a chance to get stuck in the hose to just crawl out again. They drowned. I then emptied them down the gutter. No chemicals involved.

We get them on the Southeastern front of our home every year in Prospect. We go out one morning and there they are- covering the front of our light colored home. They last less than 1 week, then are gone until Spring. Yes, they get into our home, and yes, they hang out in the upper corners of our front rooms. We either transport them outside or vacuum them up if they die. It's short lived, and they are pretty and interesting to study with the kids. It is a bit weird to be dive bombed by these little beetles as we enter and leave our home though :-). Happy Harvest Season.

I love ladybugs they are welcome to come in my home and get some shelter from the storm.
~Peace Glenna~

This wasn't really an explanation

Warning...don't kill them...if you do, they emit an odor that is really bad. You have to vacuum them up.

Had tens of thousands.. went to AGWAY and asked for lady bug killer/repellant and they have some. $17 for a bottle that hooks up to your hose but got rid of them and def repels 97% of them. You will thanks me... haha

fool.

Lady Bugs Bite! As a was relaxing on Thursday enjoying the 70 degree weather I was bit by a lady bug on the hand and have been itching for two days! My sister also saw the swarm of lady bugs and got bit.

You like these pests you can have all of mine.

I'd like to know why I have yet to see one of these nuisance pests during the growing season when my gardens are in full swing and I'm defending from other pests that are supposed to be their food source.

As far as I'm concerned, this was a hair brained idea that went afoul by some nitwit in the agricultural field and that person should be kicked in a sensitive place other than shins but I'll settle for shins.

Ladybugs are Good Luck, especially if one lands on you. I love them.

Love em' & they're always welcome in my house.

With over 100 in my sons room and at least that many in my living room. Yuk!
I did some research on ridding your home of lady bugs. Yes vacuuming and bringing them outside works but they just kept coming in through one particular window frame. I read they don't like the smell of mint and a suggestion to run a humidifier or vaporizor with some Vicks in it. I did it for a day and the lady bugs or Asian beetles have left the premises and I haven't found any lying dead around the house. Another suggestion was Mulberry candles supposedly they don't like the smell but I couldn't locate any.

On the first warm sunny day when they were all over the side of my house, I opened the window to let some of them IN. I like them. I hope I'm not "doing wrong" for them by letting them in. There are a bunch in my upstairs bathroom, a big sunny room. They gather together in a clump in a corner in the ceiling. What is that all about? Is there anything I can leave out that they'd like? I'm happy to have them, but I don't want them to starve because they are inside. Thanks

Hey did anyone download the new "Weather Beetle" from WTNH

I heard from a nursery man that these bugs were brought into Connecticut because they feed on the insects that are destroying the hemlocks in our state. I too hate them, the sunny rooms in my home are INFESTED with them and they stink. If they aren't indigenous to our area then there's nothing that we have that's going to eat them in turn. I tend to agree with what I heard because I don't remember this being an issue at all years ago.

Not easy to say thank you, me english not so good - but these really good. Good read. This video my country.

I'd have to agree with you. Which is not something I will usually do! I like reading a post that will make one think. Also, thanks for allowing me to comment!