ladybug-1036453_1280

 

Not since the Mongol Conquest of China in the 13th century, has there been such an invasion. But instead of men on horseback, we have tiny red and black-dotted beetles. There’s one room in our house these ladybugs especially crave, which now belongs to my mom. She’s tried everything to get rid of this horde—until she finally hit on a simple, but shocking solution.

According to legend, ladybugs bring luck. And let’s face it, compared to other gruesome specimens in the insect world—Daddy Long Legs, hornets, and preying mantises come to mind—ladybugs are downright cute. In the garden, they’re useful, eating aphids that can ravage plants.

But now the ladybugs are inside the house and yes, there’s such a thing as too much luck.

My mom discovered this after moving into our oldest son’s former bedroom eighteen months ago. As soon as the weather grew colder, more and more ladybugs gathered on one particular windowsill above her bed and wouldn’t go away. They reminded me of the Hells Angels when they take over a small California town, much to the locals’ dismay.

At first Mom tried ignoring the problem. After all, they’re just ladybugs, but when she found a few on her bed, she knew she had to do something. She consulted Google and came up with the “suction device” approach, otherwise known as a “dust buster.”

Yes, my mother vacuumed up the ladybugs and took them outside. Being the kind, compassionate soul she is, she even set them free. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” I picture her whispering as she released the ladybugs into the wild.

She came inside, flushed with triumph. Solution found.

But there was one problem. Within days, the ladybugs returned to the windowsill. (“Did you miss us? We’re back!!” I picture them taunting). And yes, who knows if this is the exact same ladybug tribe, but apparently they release pheromones that attract each other. Since this windowsill had been staked and “marked,” there’s a good chance this was the same crew.

My mother went back to the drawing board. She did more research, and along the way, found that ladybug society has a dark underbelly. First, they bite if provoked. Yes, it’s possible to piss off a ladybug. One fell on my mom’s arm and when she tried to shoo it off, the ladybug bit her, a tiny bite, but obviously, this bug was no lady.

Second, if hungry, they eat their siblings. Needless to say, this can make for awkward Thanksgiving dinners. (“Is that a drumstick you’re noshing on, Fred? No, its sister Becky.”)

But I digress.

The next solution was for my mother to get tougher. On Google, one expert said to vacuum up the ladybugs, but this time, put them in a plastic bag and throw them in the garbage. Yes, they die of asphyxiation… *sniff* Once again, my compassionate mother couldn’t do this. She couldn’t perform mass extinction on these “beautiful little creatures” as she called them.

But now, the ladybug rally was growing bigger as more “chapters” arrived to help celebrate the good digs for the winter. God knows with all those pheromones flying, what kind of debauchery was going on. Once again, Mom looked on the Internet …and there was another solution, one she would never have known. Apparently ladybugs (and many other animals) hate one thing more than anything in the world. Many will go out of their way to avoid even the briefest encounter with this horrible, awful, repulsive object.

A lemon.

It was worth a try. Mom cut off the ends of some citric yellow orbs, gave them a squeeze to release the scent and put them on the windowsill amidst the ladybugs. Within days, they were gone. And so far, haven’t returned.

Who knew?

Apparently, houseflies and other pests hate the smell of lemons too—something to keep in mind. I couldn’t help wonder… would they work on the real Hells Angels?

Mom was happy she had found a non-violent solution to the problem. My husband Randy and I were grateful something we’d been battling for years had a good ending. .

And yes, the ladybugs are not happy. But at least they’re alive. And if hungry, they can always eat a sibling.

 

 

Have you had an infestation of any kind? Comments are always welcome and if you’d like, please share.

If you’d like to receive posts by email, just press here.

Comments(42)

  1. Bwahahahaha! I’m not quite sure, but I think if I left our grandchildren alone for too long, someone would get eaten.
    But I digress…
    They must have been from the same Hell’s Angels chapter. They were all wearing the same colours…
    Lemon, huh? Ingenious!
    I’ll have to tell you right now that the smell of lemon attracts many Tolleys. Tell your Mom to guard her window sill…

      • Laurie Stone

      • 4 years ago

      Diane, Laughing. If we see a lot of cars pulling up from Canada, we’ll know the lemon technique has had interesting consequences! Actually, I’d love for you to visit so you won’t see me complaining.

    • Pam

    • 4 years ago

    Now I know what to do about the lady bugs in OUR home – thank you! PS – I am not as nice about getting rid of them as your mom…..

      • Laurie Stone

      • 4 years ago

      Pam, I get how different people have varying degrees of amnesty with insects. House flies don’t get the same treatment as ladybugs in our house, alas. And forget mosquitoes.

  2. A lemon. Noted. I love ladybugs but wouldn’t want an infestation.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 4 years ago

      Lauren, So far they haven’t returned! Remarkable.

  3. I’ve read somewhere that when ladybugs congregate like that they’re getting ready to hibernate. In the same article I also learned that ladybug larvae eat far more aphids than the adults do, so look up ladybug larvae and learn what they look like so you don’t kill them off thinking they are thrips or something else, maybe junior earwigs.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 4 years ago

      River, Good to know about the larvae. It makes sense they’re about to hibernate. As soon as the weather turns cold, there they are.

  4. […] one room in her house these ladybugs especially crave, which now belongs to her mom who tried everything to get rid of this horde — until she finally hit on a simple, but shocking, […]

      • Laurie Stone

      • 4 years ago

      Thank you!

      1. You’re welcome. This story is hysterical. I can just picture your mom with her lady bug-buster, vacuuming them up. I guess there is a reason to have a dustbuster!

          • Laurie Stone

          • 4 years ago

          Jennifer, Leave it to my mom to find an unusual solution!

  5. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a ladybug invasion before. What a fun story! Isn’t it always some type of natural element that is the best way to get rid of bugs? I’ve used peppermint oil for cockroaches and ants. Good to know about the lemon.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 4 years ago

      Rebecca, A British friend just told me about peppermint. I agree, much rather use something natural than Raid.

  6. Simple yet effective solution. I love it.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 4 years ago

      So true, Carol!

    1. Lemon juice! What a simple solution. I would’ve gotten cayenne pepper, that usually works as well.

        • Laurie Stone

        • 4 years ago

        Trudy, Cayenne Pepper! I’ll remember that.

  7. Laurie what a funny anecdote of life with Mom! Who knew Lady Bugs could be so resilient? Their pretty dots and wings are just a sham! Great solution. I had ants all summer as did almost everyone in the neighborhood. Recently I saw a few in my bathroom again. I will certainly try the lemon trick, but I am not as loving and kind as your Mom!

      • Laurie Stone

      • 4 years ago

      Haralee, Its hard to be loving and kind with ants, flies, or mosquitoes (okay, impossible). So glad we found a natural solution with ladybugs so didn’t have to resort to nastier methods!

  8. Hi Laurie, I remember this happened when we were living in Des Moines. But only once. Our garages faced west and they loved to hang out on the warm wood. Then they started sliding through the windows above and getting into our family room. I don’t remember what I used. But I was after them as much as possible, trying not to kill them, but to shoo them away. Lemon? Who knew.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 4 years ago

      Beth, Leave it to my mom to find a natural solution. So far, so good. Fingers crossed.

  9. We used to have that same problem every October when we lived in KY. Thankfully they didn’t follow us South.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 4 years ago

      Rena, Laughing. Better look in the trunk of your car!

  10. Even after a bite she wouldn’t retaliate…impressivr4!

      • Laurie Stone

      • 4 years ago

      Carol, That’s my mom, a very gentle soul.

  11. Love your mom’s commitment to being compassionate to these little creatures!

      • Laurie Stone

      • 4 years ago

      Ellen, Me too!

  12. I don’t like lemon either maybe I’m a lady bug too? Great tip. Bless your mom for being so kindhearted.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 4 years ago

      Rachael, You could have some ladybug in you! So funny…

  13. Lemon juice! What a simple solution. I would’ve gotten cayenne pepper, that usually works as well.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 4 years ago

      Trudy, I’ll have to check out cayenne pepper next time for pests.

  14. We had ladybugs back in New England but they never bit. Here in the Midwest just before the fall we get ladybug imposters and they do bite, unprovoked. If I were you (or your mom), I’d be trying to figure out how they were getting in the house, because next will be the spiders {{eek}}.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 4 years ago

      Karen, We get everything in here, including spiders, which strangely I don’t mind. I actually put them back outside.

  15. Perfect post for this ‘buggy’ week! At least your mom’s window sill was (I expect) aphid-free…

      • Laurie Stone

      • 4 years ago

      Diane, Strangely, the lemons helped. Who knew?

  16. That is hilarious! But yes, too much. Just too much of a good thing!

      • Laurie Stone

      • 3 years ago

      Carol, Who knew? You can have too many ladybugs.

  17. My parents have a special scooper tool they keep handy and dump them out the window. I’ve always been pretty sure they just come right back! I’m sharing this helpful tip with them.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 3 years ago

      Susan, Hope the lemon works!

  18. Once in a while we’ll have some in the house, and they do tend to collect in one window. I’ve never had an infestation, but now I know what to do if the population becomes uncomfortable. Thanks for sharing.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 4 months ago

      Pennie, They’re cute but can be pests. Glad this helped.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *