A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall The Critter Corner lady bugs hanging out in the bathroom

every year about this time the lady bugs come in through the open doors and windows and hang out in my bathroom.
I think it is the coolest thing! hubby thinks it's gross we have 'bugs' in our house.???
when I know the weather will be nice for several days in a row, I swish them outside to get something to eat. once the cold weather comes back they come on back inside.

so, two things....

1.) do you think its gross/wierd to welcome 'bugs' into your home for the cold winter nights?

2.) and is there anything I can feed them during the times we have a week or more of really cold weather?

As near as I can tell from reading here, there are two kinds of lady bugs. The nice outdoor ones who help you get rid of aphids and a nasty biting one that shelters indoors.
Here is one old topic about them.
http://www.thegardenhelper.com/cgi-bin/ubb/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi/topic/66/1927.html
I am sure there are others if you do a more thorough forum search.

I have lady bugs in my house too Cricket and I kill them. They are the Asian kind, sort of orange instead of red, and bite or sting. They will attack my dog. I don't think these kind eat aphids or do any good in the garden. Plus they smell terrible and will leave streaks on your curtains and walls.

we would have to vacuum them up about once a week all fall and early winter at the farm

See Cricket, You can feed them your dog!
I was reading up on them when Cricket asked, Sheri. And they do kill aphids and that is why they were introduced here. Now they wish they hadn't been introduced.

You can say that again !!!

For the first couple of years I owned this house, I got swarms of brown-colored Ladybugs by my back door each Fall. I would just take them back outside to take their chances. I haven't seen any lately.

I don't think we get any biting types over here, ladybugs (ladybirds) are a favourite insect in the UK, even with non-gardeners who don't know they eat aphids. They are generally welcomed indoors, and in fact you can buy ladybird houses, to provide shelter for them outside if they need it.

We like ladybirds so much, that you can buy attractant for them as well as homes.

http://www.ecotopia.co.uk/product/41/bb0312/ladybird-food-attractant.html

so Cricket I think you are lovely to take care of them indoors

I have the Orange variety here too. And your right they do like to come indoors. But they die in here. I had no idea that they would bite or sting. I'm glad they get rid of the aphids though.

we had the orange type one year and I would sweep them with the broom off the ceiling and out the front door. I didn't know what kind of lady bug they were.

but, I was talking about the red ones that I have in my bathroom now.
and I have gotten bit by a red one once. I was outdoors though.

I am very glad you have a sense of humor.

I don't think the orange ones eat aphids.

I was reading up on them last night. They were imported here because they are more voracious than our ladybugs. They do eat aphids and a lot of other things including our ladybugs (and dogs and people). I think they are one of the imports that we are sorry happened.

Me too Sheri....they come in here in the fall though just when the weather is getting cold....they really only come in the back window in the kitchen, but I get quite a lot of them. And yes, they do bite. One bit me one year and that was when I started really going after them. And they do leave orange streaks on everything.....I use paper towels and squish them all. One year I used the vac and they all crawled back out of it.

When I vaccuum bugs or spiders. i empty that sucker out outside right away into a plastic bag and seal it tight. If I'm going to work that hard, I don't want to redo it all.

I haven't ever seen them in the house, nor have I been bit by one I didn't even know they did bite until now.
Every early / mid spring I purchase several " Boxes " of lady bugs from the nursery to place around roses and other flowers,,,, spring is the worse time for aphids here,, and the lady bugs love them,, as well as other Insects,, when the aphids and other food supply for them is gone they leave it seems.
By late spring I don't see them anymore,, maybe a few once in a while but not often, I'm glad they were introduced they're welcome in my garden anytime,,

You get the native lady bugs when you purchase them. They are the ones we all love and like to see. It is the Asian lady bugs that are the introduced problem bug.