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10-20-2004

BEWARE THE TRICK OR TREAT LADYBUGS!

It appears that at least one variety of lady beetle is just looking for a home to call its own, and it's choosing ours.

We call them the "Trick or Treat Ladybugs" (also known as the Asian lady beetle) because they appear in late October and are bright Halloween orange and black in color. According to Agriculture Commissioner Gus R. Douglass, based on the number of calls that the West Virginia Department of Agriculture's Plant Industries Division have received over the last few days, 2004 is shaping up as a banner year for Trick or Treat Ladybugs.

This beetle tends to congregate on the sunny side of homes during warm days starting in October. At this point, they may find their way into homes, becoming nuisance pests. While most of these ladybugs will be killed by a hard frost, Trick or Treat Ladybugs that do find their way inside may appear throughout the winter.

Trick or Treat Ladybugs do have small mandibles (mouthparts) that they can pinch with, but their bite is insignificant. They do not pose a health risk.

Officially known as Harmonia axyridis, the beetle was found in Louisiana in 1988 and probably arrived from Asia in packing material and has been moving northward ever since. Despite persistent rumors, this insect is not released by a government agency for aphid control.

If you are troubled by Trick or Treat ladybugs, or Asian lady beetles as they are also known, there are several lines of defense to help deal with the problem:

1. If the ladybugs are already inside a structure, it is simplest to vacuum them up.

2. Covering windows with the same sort of plastic membrane used for insulation is reported to be very effective in excluding Trick or Treat Ladybugs.

3. A number of repellant sprays are available that can be used to treat the exterior of a building. These sprays act as barriers that discourage the Trick or Treat Ladybug from clustering on building exteriors and make it less likely that they will find their way inside.

When choosing a barrier spray, look for one of the following chemicals:

Bifenthrin
Cyfluthrin
Deltamethrin
Esfenvalerate
Tralomethrin

Also, read the label carefully and follow these safety rules:

1. Make sure it contains one of the chemicals listed above.

2. Make sure the label states that the spray is safe to use on homes and other structures.

3. Always use any safety equipment specified on the label and only apply the chemical at the rate specified on the label. MORE IS NOT BETTER!

4. If you have animals in the home it is best to apply sprays only to walls and ceilings. Animals may pick up chemicals applied to floor boards on their paws and ingest them by licking their feet.

For more information about the Trick or Treat Ladybugs, or Asian lady beetles, contact the WVDA's Plant Industries Division, 304/558-2212.

Contact: Buddy Davidson
Communications Officer
304/558-3708, 361-9484 (pager)
bdavidson@ag.state.wv.us

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org.

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