What’s Up With Swarms of Biting Ladybugs Trying to Get in Your House?
I thought ladybugs were good!
We had always welcomed ladybugs at our organic vegetable farm—the more, the better. After all, in the larval stage, they can consume hundreds of aphids a day, and even an adult will eat 50.
But today, my granddaughter suddenly jumped up from harvesting carrots wildly, waving her arms and shouting, “The ladybugs are biting me!”
Mostly we were just startled since, like most people, we assumed all ladybugs are beneficial. But, like my granddaughter, I felt betrayed and began to investigate. It turns out there is a look-alike ladybug, more accurately called an Asian lady beetle.
Asian lady beetles can bite. But not hard.
The bite feels like a pinprick and is seldom serious. However, a few people have a slight allergy to the contact of the ladybugs or the substance they secrete. A light spray of a natural insect repellent is generally effective at keeping them off if they bother you.
And the Asian lady beetles are just as beneficial as their more common cousins.
