Too Many Ladybugs
By fishtiger58
@fishtiger58 (29820)
Momence, Illinois
April 16, 2016 8:14am CST
For the past at least 20 years maybe more our area has been overrun by Japanese ladybugs. These ladybugs are everywhere and during the warm months we have to kill them inside our house every single day. On warm days at the beginning of spring and then again at the end of fall they cover the outside of our house. You can also see hoards of them flying through the air on these types of days.
I haven't seen nearly as many red ladybugs which are native to our area. The red ladybugs are nice and go about their business without bothering anyone. However the orange Japanese ladybugs are just plain mean. They seem to be choking out the native red ladybug and they bite. Yes you heard me right, they bite.
I don't know if the Japanese ladybugs are doing the same work as our native ladybug, but I do know they are making me hate ladybugs, and I mean who hates ladybugs. I'm pretty sure I could fill a 2 gallon bucket with the ladybugs I kill inside my house during these times. I hope our native ladybugs can survive but I have my doubts.
Has anyone in the US noticed the orange ladybugs where you live?
21 people like this
21 responses
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
16 Apr 16
We get the regular variety here. Although I do see green ones that look like unripe ladybugs. LOL
3 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
16 Apr 16
Wow I have never seen a green one. Interesting.
3 people like this
@marlina (154131)
• Canada
16 Apr 16
@fishtiger58 I have never seen a green lady bug either.
1 person likes this
@rebelann (112681)
• El Paso, Texas
17 Apr 16
How big are the orange ones @fishtiger58 ?
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
17 Apr 16
Yea if you don't have the orange ones be very very grateful. They bite and serve no purpose I have heard.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
17 Apr 16
@rebelann I'm thinking they are pretty much the same size as the red ones get. But you can see they are orange and not red.
2 people like this
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
18 Apr 16
I have heard that they bite. Not sure if the ladybugs I have seen are the orange type that you speak of or actually red. About 20 years ago I lived in a house where the sun shown brightly on the backside of the house. I went outside to bask in the warmth of the sun and when I turned around to close the door I was startled to see the house covered with ladybugs. Freaked my kids out too.
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
18 Apr 16
@fishtiger58 it was kind of creepy to see so many at once.
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@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
18 Apr 16
Yup that's what I have seen too, shocking to say the least. I bet what you saw was orange ones, I have never seen the red ones do that.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
19 Apr 16
@ElusiveButterfly It's been going on here for 20 years or more. I hardly ever see the native red ones anymore.
1 person likes this
@jndlponti (2402)
• Philippines
30 Apr 16
Surprisingly we also have that bugs here in the Philippines that says gaming from Japan also. But it is not orange in color but the blackbug.. we had to kill them as well when they get inside the house.
They are attracted to lights that is why they get inside houses. They bite, really give itch afterwards and when you hit them with broom or anything they produce foul smell.
1 person likes this
@jndlponti (2402)
• Philippines
1 May 16
@fishtiger58 Yeah.. that's it. Its the stonkbug and it lives arpu d warm weather just like our place. But they don't like it too warm as well.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
1 May 16
that sounds like what we call a stinkbug here in the US. But we don't have those bugs I live in the Chicago area. I think those bugs are more down south in the US where it's warm almost all the time.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
1 May 16
@jndlponti Thankfully I have never even seen one much less smelled them I hear the smell is horrible.
1 person likes this
@infatuatedbby (94914)
• United States
17 Apr 16
Wow that's a lot of lady bugs. It isn't so common for me to see any lady bugs at all. So it's like a symbol of good luck when found!
1 person likes this
@infatuatedbby (94914)
• United States
17 Apr 16
@fishtiger58 Tell them to fly to California 
I never seen more than one or two lady bugs at a time my entire life. Maybe like 15 times in my entire life? Lol. I don't go in the garden often but even so I don't see them often either or hunt for them..
I never seen more than one or two lady bugs at a time my entire life. Maybe like 15 times in my entire life? Lol. I don't go in the garden often but even so I don't see them often either or hunt for them..1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
17 Apr 16
I would love to send you mine lol.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
17 Apr 16
@infatuatedbby you would see a ton of them here crawling on every surface and flying through the air.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (337843)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Apr 16
@fishtiger58 It is a shame when introduced species start killing off local ones. We have this problem with birds and animals. The kookaburra is not native to Western Australia but is firmly established now and competes for food and nesting areas with our little local birds.
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
20 Apr 16
@JudyEv We have the zebra mussel in some lakes taking over, as well the purple loosestrife is not a native plant but it's choking out many native plants and is becoming quite the problem.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
19 Apr 16
Not biting is a very good start. The quantity of them and the fact that they bite is a problem. I think they are choking out the native ladybugs, as I seem to see fewer and fewer of them.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
29 Apr 16
I have never seen an orange ladybug and actually we rarely see the red ones either.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
1 May 16
I can't remember when the last time I saw a red one either. They are awful and I hope they never make their way to where you live.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (469777)
• Switzerland
17 Apr 16
@fishtiger58 I fear that the big orange ones kill the red ones, last year we had less of them.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
17 Apr 16
the red ones are no problem here, although I seem to see fewer and fewer of them. I think the orange ones maybe choking the red ones out or something.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
17 Apr 16
@LadyDuck I absolutely think that's what's going on around here too. What a shame.
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
16 Apr 16
We have them, they are actually called Asian Beetles.They are brown not red like a lady bug. They swarm...on the first warm day of the year. We kill thousands of them in a day, we have special spray. They are of absolutely no value. We don't have them bad at this house, but a prior home the inside of the house was full of them in the outlet boxes and under the carpet. The pre. owner of that home told us she had a 'few' of them....yes, a few million. Yes they bite and when you kill them they stink.
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
16 Apr 16
@fishtiger58 You have to buy it online - its concentrated so it will last for years - I had the link but I can't find it - I'll have my husband get me the name from the container. It might be a while but I'll get it later.
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@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
16 Apr 16
@AbbyGreenhill Awesome thanks so much Abby
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@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
16 Apr 16
Yup that's exactly what they do, they are horrible. What kind of spray did you use, I'm interested and would go on a killing spree.
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
16 Apr 16
bless yer heart, those're jest not a desirable thingy to've 'round yer place. there's none such'n these parts, but my dad used to battle 'em back'n the hills. set'p traps which needed to be dumped nearly daily. many'f the 'foreign' critters displace our natives. here the troubles those eurasian doves, our native doves got shoved out by 'em some years back. i did see a pair though the other day, so'm hopeful they'll not continue jest bein' out'n the far wilds.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
17 Apr 16
@fishtiger58 dang't, we've that kinda trouble here with tumbleweeds 'n russian thistle. i'd like to travel back'n time'n smack those fella's who thought bringin' 'em to this country 'twas a grand idea...
i sure feel fer ya, battlin' those japanese beetles!
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
17 Apr 16
@crazyhorseladycx Yes lots of that stuff was brought over and are taking over it's a shame.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
17 Apr 16
We are having problems with the Purple Loosestrife It's choking out many native plants. Pretty flowers but not native to the United States. I really hate those ladybugs, I killed 10 yesterday in my house yuck.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38862)
• Midland, Michigan
23 Apr 16
Yes, they are bad here in Michigan too, but they aren't actually ladybugs, but Japanese beetles. They look like ladybugs from far away except lady bugs are usually red, and these are orange, and you're right they bite. I think they were brought to America to kill aphids, but the only problem there is nothing that kills them.
It's funny that you said you cold fill a 2 gallon bucket with them, because if you were to put soapy water, soap like in dish soap, into a bucket where these come into your home, you will find that many of them will drown in the water on their own. Something about the soapy water entices them. It won't kill all of them, but you might be surprised at how many will end up in the bucket on their own. I've tested this myself.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38862)
• Midland, Michigan
23 Apr 16
@fishtiger58 one of my best friends used to clean for an older couple. She saw the man putting a glass of soapy water onto the ceiling under where a Japanese beetle was at and it fell right into the glass. He kept doing it wherever they were found.
I used to clean for someone with a southern exposure and one window there in a guest room I went every other week, but one summer that room was always loaded with those bugs. Hundreds of them. I finally got permission to try the bucket idea. Even though there would be several hundred of them in the bucket when I'd get there, there were still too many in the room.
After a few years of this, they finally had an exterminator in and found there were nests of them in their attic space.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
23 Apr 16
Very interesting, I will have to try that, I hate when they are in my house.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
24 Apr 16
@MarshaMusselman Oh yuck I would hate that. Usually we get a some during the day, but now that we are aware of them we open and close the doors fast to let fewer in.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
16 Apr 16
@DianneN They are, I hate them so much, and always no matter how hard I try they get in my house.
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@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
16 Apr 16
I hope they don't either , they are so nasty.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
17 Apr 16
@CRK109 It's becoming a problem, I hardly ever see the native red ladybugs anymore
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
17 Apr 16
yea they sure are mean, I'm not sure how many times they have bit me.
1 person likes this
@KuznVinny (768)
• United States
18 Apr 16
They seem to have decreased in quantity since the stinkbugs have become a major problem
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@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
19 Apr 16
Oh my I have heard about those stinkbugs, we don't have them here thankfully. Not sure what's worse, but I have heard really bad things about those stinkbugs.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
19 Apr 16
@KuznVinny Oh yuck that would be awful. I hear their name is appropriate.
1 person likes this
@KuznVinny (768)
• United States
19 Apr 16
@fishtiger58 Believe me: stink bugs are worse, although at least they don't seem to bite. Twice my son picked up a sandwich and bit into a stink bug. Wouldn't you have loved to see the look on his face?
1 person likes this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
18 Apr 16
NO BUT JUST ABOUT EVERY other kind of critter you can think of. lol. sorry about the caps lock.
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@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
18 Apr 16
lol no problem, yea we have our share of other bugs and stuff.
@slund2041 (3314)
• United States
18 Apr 16
Once a year for about two weeks we suffer from ladybug problems. I do not know how they find their way into my home, but they certainly do. I will have them on my walls, and ceiling.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
19 Apr 16
Yes I have them inside my house too, hate them, wish they would stay outside. It's bad enough with them outside.
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
16 Apr 16
We get them in spring as well. I hate them and have to do something to keep them out of my house.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
17 Apr 16
I do believe it was me who mentioned it before. They are just awful here, they can cover the side of your house they are so bad. I don't see as many red ones here anymore and they are the native ones.
1 person likes this
@HebrewGreekStudies (1646)
• Canada
20 Apr 16
I'm in Canada, and we have them even in winter in our house...:/
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
20 Apr 16
Oh wow they do come in during the fall but I think we manage to kill them all.
@JohnRoberts (109846)
• Los Angeles, California
16 Apr 16
This is what happens when a foreign species is introduced into an American environment: destructive of the native order. It isn't just ladybugs, but all sort of critters.
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