CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It’s that time of the year when you begin to see loads of lady bugs or stink bugs swarming on the sunny side of your home.
As the temperatures drop and the sun angle gets lower, ladybugs, or as they are sometimes called Asian Beetles, begin to try to hide from the cold.
This time of the year they will seek out the sunny side of any building, which is the south side of your home. They will find tiny cracks, even in the most sealed up house, and end up usually around your windows.
Now they may seem like pests when they are in your house, but they are a natural deterrent to smaller pests in your garden. They deter mainly aphids and if you grow tomatoes plants, ladybugs are a blessing. They eat these smaller pests when it is warm outside.
Now when they get into the house and they run out of aphids to eat, they can cause small bites. But it’s not that bad. I usually just get the shop-vac out and suck them up. Before long they are all gone and winter sets in. To me, the ladybug swarms are just part of the seasons changing in the Southeast.
It’s not just lady bugs. Stink bugs and even Kudzu bugs all behave in a similar fashion. Once the nights get cold again, they will try to find a way to stay warm on the south or sunny side of your home.
So be on the look out for them after our bought of warm sunny days turn back to chilly nights again.
