Ladybugs are invading Wilton. Residents are reporting teems of these little red insects, which aren’t really bugs at all, but beetles, creeping across kitchen counters, flitting from sofas to lampshades, gathering on windowpanes and even crawling between the sheets.
Why the recent rash of indoor ladybug rallies, just as the temperature outside warms up? Well, just like many of us, ladybugs don’t like the cold so they head indoors for the winter, preferring to take shelter in light colored homes with southern exposure. Cracks around windows and doors and poor insulation make it easier for them to infiltrate. Once inside, they tend to gather in groups to hibernate.
They produce pheromones, a kind of “perfume” which they release to communicate with other ladybugs. The scent, which other ladybugs can detect from a quarter-mile away, not only attracts them to each other, but marks a location – in many cases, a warm cozy spot in a home’s insulation — as a great place to hang out for the winter. The pheromones’ scent doesn’t dissipate with time, which explains why so many homes tend to have ladybug infestations year after year.
Ladybugs often leave a trail of stinky yellow fluid, which is actually their blood. It can stain fabric and walls, and because it also has pheromones, it is another way they attract each other. They also release a bit of their blood when they find themselves in stressful situations, such as when they are held by a human, or when they need to ward off predators. While their stinky blood can discolor fabrics and walls, ladybugs don’t eat household items.
During their inside hibernation, they survive on their own body fats — who knew that ladybugs had any “fats” on which to survive at all? Once outside, they feast on aphids, which feed on and can destroy plants. Ladybugs prefer a more humid environment, but because the air in most homes in Wilton is dry during the winter, many of these uninvited guests perish from dehydration. That explains why homeowners often find so many dead ladybugs littering the floor, counters and furniture.
Why do ladybugs emerge from hiding when the weather warms up? Shouldn’t they be heading outside? Apparently, the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures confuses them, and they end up staying indoors. The best way to get rid of them is to vacuum them up. For those who want to capture and release their ladybugs to the outdoors, it’s best to use a shop vac for this task.