5 Ladybug Facts Most Knoxville Residents Do Not Know  

Ladybugs are oval with dome-shaped bodies, six legs, and brightly colored protective coverings over their wings. Depending on the species, ladybugs are often red, yellow, orange, or brown and typically have black spots or other patterns on their wing covers. One fact you might not know about these colorful beetles is that they have several different names. Ladybug, ladybird, lady beetle, lady fly, lady cow, and lady clock are all names that can be used for these distinctive-looking insects. Despite their names, not all ladybugs are female.

Why do ladybugs invade?

During fall, ladybugs try to find warm and safe locations where they can overwinter. Unfortunately, the warmest and safest location to overwinter might be within the walls of your Knoxville home. While one or two ladybugs might not seem like a big deal, ladybugs invade in large numbers. An interesting fact about ladybugs is that they release strong pheromones to attract more ladybugs to a property. In severe cases of ladybug infestations, there could be several thousand individual ladybugs in a Knoxville home.

Problems Ladybugs Cause

Ladybugs don’t bite or sting as many other insects do, and they aren’t generally harmful to humans. However, they are still not pests you want to find on your property. Not many people are aware that ladybug infestations can trigger allergies in some individuals, especially in cases of large infestations. These small insects excrete a foul-smelling liquid when threatened or crushed, which can stain furniture, fabrics, wallpaper, clothing, and personal items.

Ladybug Prevention Tips

The last thing you want is to discover a ladybug infestation in your Knoxville home once spring arrives and thousands of ladybugs wake up from their dormancy to fly around your windows and lights. Prevent ladybugs from invading your Knoxville home this fall with a few of these ladybug prevention tips.

• Keep your trash cans sealed. Ladybugs love eating food left in your garbage cans, like most insects.
• Close your curtains at night to avoid luring ladybugs to your home.
• Seal every crack and crevice you can find around the exterior of your home, including holes made for pipes, wires vents, or other utilities.
• Install door sweeps on doors that lead outside.
• Never leave food outside, and store pet food in airtight containers when not in use.
• Remove clutter from your property.

If only a few ladybugs get into your home, you can vacuum them up and implement prevention measures around your Knoxville home to make it less attractive to other ladybugs. If you already have a large ladybug infestation, don’t hesitate to reach out to the professionals here at Russell’s pest control. Our fall pest removal and control services cover a wide variety of common fall pests, including ladybugs.