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Harlequin ladybirds - invaded again!

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Visgir1 Thu 14-Apr-22 22:26:32

About 10 yrs ago that happened to us. Thousands all over the South side of our house which was painted white, absolutely bazaar? If I remember correctly it was early evening, not the hight of the day.

We then found them in the house and for years we saw them crawling around when the weather heats up.

We found loads of dead ones in Light fittings, inside ceiling light shade and one flush light in a shower failed, on investigation full of ladybirds!

I just don't know? obvious they lay eggs that hatch.
I kept sprayed everything with fly killer for ages.
I think we were still seeing them for a several years.
Very odd I agree, so yes your not the only one. Good luck this summer.

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lixy Thu 14-Apr-22 22:02:22

Haven't seen them in such numbers but we do have them here in the garden. Advice locally is to squash them as soon as they're seen.
I have seen swarms of ordinary ladybirds in the past - on the seafront at Burnham-on-Sea one year I remember particularly - and then the local council literally swept them up with a road sweeper.
I don't have any idea why they choose your house I'm afraid but using the spray may change the 'smell' they emit as a signal to others and so they may not find you so easily if you persist with that?

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mrsgreenfingers56 Thu 14-Apr-22 18:58:32

For the last few years the back of my house is literally invaded by harlequin ladybirds. At first I couldn't believe my eyes, in huge clusters and all up the walls of the bathroom, kitchen and bedroom and conservatory. I thought this isn't normal and had a look on line and found out the invasive ladybird from Asia who are eating our native ladybirds.

How cute you might think but it has become freaky and my next door neighbour came to look and said wouldn't have believed it unless he had seen with his own eyes.

The advice is to kill them which sounds awful as I love wildlife but when you pick them up the smell is dreadful. The internet said they carry a STD but not able to pass onto humans.

I bought a fly spray and literally blasted all the rooms but hate sprays like that as they make me cough and start me off with a tight chest. Stayed outside for an hour and literally had to get a dust pan and brush to swept them up. Why are they coming to my house I ask? My neighbours don't have this problem. Found a cluster the other day in the curtains and been away for a week and every door and window closed obviously and they were all over the carpets and floors.

When I had replacement glass in some of the windows to my horror the inside of the beading of the glass when out was literally filled with dead ladybirds. How on earth they have got in their I don't know. The window man made a comment about it and told me to come and look.

This only starts when we get a warm spell, never troubled with them in the winter but once the sun is out - help!

Anybody else had this problem? Anybody any ideas please?
Any help much appreciated. It is so weird and freaky.

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