I’m not sure if it has to do with living on the edge of town, in a community that used to be farm land (like, over 20 years ago!), or what, but we have problems with ladybugs.
Don’t get me wrong… Ladybugs are cute, right???
When we first moved here, I kind of liked the ladybugs, I mean, I thought they were cute. Who couldn’t love a ladybug?
All red and cuddly…
Well, now we are past the “cute” stage, and are smack dab in the middle of the annoying stage.
Um… Maybe, more like horror-movie stage. (Have you seen The Birds… anyone?)
In fact, I’m starting to lose sleep over these stupid things! (And, I hesitate to call any of God’s creation, “stupid”.) They attack me while I’m least expecting it, when I’m off in dreamland (turned nightmare)! They go right for my face while I sleep, in the dark of the night. When they land on me, I’m not thinking…
I’m thinking, more like…
AAAAAHHHHHHAAAAA!
Then, I break out into my ninja-warrior routine. I’m sure it is funny to watch, (and I don’t know how my husband sleeps through all my karate chopping!) but, I will not be eaten alive! Not while I sleep!!!!!
I’m to the point where I lie in bed just waiting for one to land on me. And, every little hair or blanket that touches my face… Whack! I’m smacking myself silly!
Have I mentioned that ladybugs don’t smell very nice? They have a little defense mechanism when you smack them on your face, they smear this disgusting odor all over the place. Not very conducive for sleeping, trust me!
AAARRRRGGGGHHH!
Why are they attacking only me?? No one else in my family seems to be affected by the Ladybugs. My husband says I need to get a C-Pap mask, and I won’t have to worry about it. Yeah, right, I say! Those Ladybugs are smart. They would figure out a way to get into the machine and I would inhale them, and they would eat me from the inside out… 😉
Does anyone else have ladybug problems, and how do you battle them? Nija style? 😀
Linked to these parties.
Lady with the Red Rocker 
You are not the only one with a ladybug issue. We recently bought a house that the owners cautioned us had an abundance of LBs each winter/spring. Abundance is a very nice word for INVASION!!! We took ownership of the house in March & noticed a lot (50+) of LBs on each of the windows & sills. Read that 50+ on each & every one of the windows & sills, not 50 among the 30+ windows of the place [50 x 30= 1500 LBs daily!].
We got a gentle suction vacume to start clearing the house of them, taking them outside to do their LB duty on the plants. All that did was bring more of the LBs out of where ever they were hiding. Now getting up in the night was a LB minefield. You can’t walk barefoot with out the crunch of LBs disturbing the little bit of sleep you have left as you head for the potty. You wear slippers to avoid the crunchy carcasses between your toes, but have to remember to shake out the slippers to avoid the bodies that crawl into them.
And yes, there is that pungent scent that the crushed bodies exude. And did you know that LBs can bite? Yes they can, I found out that I am allergic to LB bites. I get itchy bite marks like if you have a mosquito bite. And all this ‘FUN’ lasts til July.
We are starting to call the house ‘Ladybug Manor’ & are thinking of starting up a ladybug supply for all the organic farmers locally. We have enough to start paying on the mortgage. I guess that would have the house paying for itself. LOL
~C8>
Wow! You definitely have it bad! My mil has a lb problem. She was filling a vacuum bag of lbs, daily! Thanks for stopping by, and sharing. 😀
My parents house has had that problem in the past. My mom is convinced that if you put them into a jar with a lid and put them into the refrigerator, they will go into hibernation. Then, com spring, you just put them back outside and let them warm up, wake up, and fly away. She did it for a couple years until they quit coming around so much. I would always just use the vacuum to get rid of them. Their house was built on old farmland and it’s on a lake as well.
When I lived in Illinois we went through a few seasons of this. Yes, they bite and they STINK! I no longer view LB quite the same way now. I used to hate the sound of the crunching bodies when I would close the front door as they swarmed over the door and crawled onto the door frame trying to get inside whenever the door was opened. Lots of scraping and washing to remove the body build up. I don’t have any great tips for you unfortunately!
Oh yuck! Yes, they are hard to get off the window once they are squashed! Lol! 😀
My brother lived in an apartment over a garage in a fairly rural area. Every year, he was invaded. They literally covered the same corner of walls and ceiling, he vacuumed them up, more came. But I don’t think they ever attacked him. The home owners had some, too, but not as bad as the apartment. No helpful hints, sorry.
I have been bit by ladybugs for years and everyone I told, thought I was crazy, for some reason they only seemed to bite me, no one else. I feel your pain, they are nasty suckers and I am afraid of them too. I don’t know how to get rid of them, most of my encounters were outside.
I may have a simple solution for you, we have found that LB do not care for cinnamon. We put a cinnamon broom by the front door, and burn cinnamon candles. If they are in the house when we start burning, they hang out on the screens trying to escape. We have lifted the screen a little and watched them exit as quickly as they could. So try it, see if you have any luck. If I were you I’d put a cinnamon candle on my nightstand.
Ohh! Great tip! I will have to try that in our bathroom. As far as putting a candle on my night stand… I would probably catch my hair on fire, but maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as being eaten alive while I sleep! 😉
We have this issue as well. Not sure what to do about it…. Gonna try the cinnamon..
They are the worst in my daughter’s room. She kept telling me they have a funny smell( which i thought she was making up) but now i know that she really did smell them. I never remember this when i was a kid… Why the increase in lady bugs? Odd
It is too cold during MN winters to get ladybugs, although sometime you find one or two trying to hang on from summer. I hate trying to sleep with bugs around! Good Luck!
We get winter ladybug invasions too. I’ll relocate them during the day, but if they bother me in bed, that’s it. Game over.
Vera: I’m going to try the cinnamon. Thank you for the suggestion!
Go here: http://www.ladybuglady.com/infestation.htm
Everything you want to know PLUS a black light trap to lure them. AND a house to put outside for them so they don’t come in yours. Sweet!
Hey! Thanks Amy! This is a big help! Thanks for sharing! 😀
We had them too, but probably five years or so back they were the worst. Ours were Asian ladybugs according to the paper, not a beneficial kind, and more orange than red. The article I read said that the smell of a crushed one was a signal for more to swarm and besides the smell is foul and the smashed bugs stain. I found you can take a piece of clear tape. Use scotch tape for just a few, packing tape if there are lots in one area. Hold a piece of tape taut with the sticky side facing away from you. Touch it lightly to the ladybugs and they stick to the tape. Fill up as much tape as you can until the tape is as full as you want and then fold it over sticky side together and throw it in a bag and put it in the trash. I can take them off of light fixtures or drapes this way with no smell or stain.
This is great, Pam, thanks for sharing. Will have to try this soon! 😀
We have always had ladybugs in the winter that invade my daughter’s room. They haven’t really been a problem and pretty much stay on the big windowsill in her room. I definitely would not like them crawling all over me at night!
Ladybugs can be really nasty. In the fall they’re attracted to south facing walls to find a warm place to hide. A few years ago, I was working outside by a brick wall on a sunny day and got caught in a swarm of them. Some started to bite me. I told my friends about it and they thought I was nuts, lady bugs don’t hurt anybody. A few weeks later there was an article in the paper about them and it said they do indeed bite people occationally. No lasting damage but I’ll never look at them as cute again because they can be aggressive.
However, we now have a stink bug invasion every fall that is ovewhelming. Between the two, I’ll take the ladybugs.
Oh no, Donna! I would take ladybugs over stink bugs also! Hope you find cure for them! Thanks for sharing! 😀
Oh girl, when my parents were still living and still had their house in the country, I don’t know why but one year the ladybugs just literally moved in … to my old bedroom upstairs. Not knowing that, my new-ish hubby and I went out to spend the night, went into my bedroom and eeeeek – they were everywhere – ceiling, walls, so totally gross. You’re right, they stink when you kill – er hit them. I slept downstairs on the sofa that night, while hubs somehow managed to sleep with the bugs. I hope you can get rid of yours, I’m sure there’s a way. Hugs ~ Mary
Oh yuck! I can’t say they are covering my walls, so I guess I can’t complain too much! LOL! Thanks for sharing! 😀
I’m so glad I wasn’t imagining things, like my husband said, that lady bugs stink when you hit them. I will never complain again about the very, very minor infestation we get occasionally. You have put lady bugs in a whole new light. 🙂 Good luck!!
Eek! Anything coming at me when I’m falling asleep! Eek!
Mosquito netting?
So glad that you decided to join Pin’Inspiration Thursday this week 🙂
LOL! I never thought of Mosquito Netting! I might have to give that a try! 😀
Ewwwwwww we have the same problem. They fall on me. IN THE SHOWER. I can’t decide if that’s better or worse than in bed.
And that close up… shudder… I may not go to sleep tonight!
We don’t have any at this time of the year but they are gross and they do stink!!
When we moved in to the 1980’s ranch style home approx 6 yrs ago we had a real problem with ladybugs. I would vacuum as many as I could as often as I could with a hand vac then dump them outside. Each year we had less than the yr before. We still get a few but nowhere near as many as we used to have. I’ve been bitten and dive-bombed. I feel for you. I am going to try the cinnamon thing and see if I can get rid of the ones I have left! I like the tape thing, too! By the way, if you vacuum them and don’t empty it outside, they either escape or stink something awful! Best of luck to you!
Sandy
Thanks for sharing , Sandy! I feel better knowing I’m not alone! Thanks for the tip about emptying the vacuum bag, good to know! 😀
Been there-done that….I used to vacuum and release the cute litte critters until they started flying into my face at night, then releasing their “stink attack”…I love organic options, but these guys are evil-vacuum and kill them.
If you don’t change the vacuum bag after a large removal effort, the next time you turn the vacuum on-the smell is greatly multiplied and over powering….
We live in a different home now-some, but not near so many as our older home before that was not so air tight….I think so many people are killing them, there are actually fewer out there…
AND, the orange ones that are so invasive are not native-
…
I giggled when I read your posting about the ladybugs. I LOVE the little creatons, BUT, and it’s a BIG but…did you know they also BITE! Yep! I have been attacked by them, as you have, and I’ve also been bitten by them. The first time one bit me I completely freaked out. I have loved them since I was a kid. Then, when I got bitten by one I was like “WTH? I have loved you little cuties..OW *SMACK*”
So, I concur with the dislike of the little creatures. They look all sweet and nice, in reality they are ebil little creaturs. LOL
Nice to see some fellow ladybug adversionists. (Not a word…but it should be)