Ladybug Prevention Tips

In the insect world the ladybug may be one of the most adored bugs, it is an insect that people ooh and ah over and say “oh look how cute, a ladybug”. Most people don’t mind seeing the occasional ladybug and may almost look forward to running into one. They are so beloved that they are often the theme of children’s birthday parties and are considered a cute option for a Halloween costume. But, before you go on about how cute ladybugs are and how you don’t mind finding them in your home, has your home ever been invaded by hundreds of these dome-shaped spotted insects? Have you ever had to deal with hundreds and hundreds of these “cute” insects living in your home’s attic, crawl spaces, or behind its walls? While ladybugs are helpful outside, feeding on
aphids and other garden pests, when the weather cools they gather together in very large numbers to find a safe warm spot to overwinter. If precautions are not taken, that overwintering spot, could be your home, and we can promise they will not be so cute then.

The good news when it comes to ladybugs is that they are not dangerous to people, they don’t bite or sting, and aren’t known to cause any health concerns. However, that doesn’t mean that anyone wants to or should have to have hundreds of these insects crawling through and living inside of your home. The following tips should help to prevent these cute, yet very annoying pests from finding their way into your home this fall season.

• When creating garden areas on your property make sure to place them as far away from the exterior of your home as possible
• Ladybugs live on plants, so before you bring outdoor plants inside for the winter, make sure to inspect them for ladybugs
• Inspect your home’s foundation and exterior walls, caulking any spaces and gaps that are found to help prevent ladybugs from squeezing their way into your home as they climb its exterior
• Check your home’s windows and doors, make sure that weather stripping is intact, door sweeps are in place, screens are completely intact, and that any gaps found around the windows and doors are caulked
• Make sure that all vents have tight-fitting mesh covers over them, fill in spaces found around utilities entering into your home, and place caps on all chimneys

Stop ladybugs from overwintering in your home this winter season by following the above prevention tips. While we agree that ladybugs are adorable, we all need to work together to keep them outside where they belong. To help protect your home from being invaded by ladybugs this fall and other critters throughout the rest of the year, put into place a year-round pest control program from Russell’s Pest Control. Our residential pest control programs will provide the continuous protection your home needs to become and stay free of more than 30 common household pests! Contact us today to learn more about these beneficial programs!