Lady Beetles

A group of ladybugs is called a loveliness.

Ladybugs are predators as adults and larvae and feed on plant-eating pests such as aphids, scale insects, and other pests that attack trees, shrubs, flowers, or vegetables in the garden.

Ladybug eggs hatch in between three and ten days, depending on ambient temperature. Ladybug larva live and grow for about a month before entering the pupal stage, which lasts about 15 days. After the pupal stage, the adult ladybug can live up to a year.

A few species of ladybug, such as the multicolored Asian Lady beetle congregate on the outside of buildings in autumn and then enter wall voids or attics to hibernate over the winter. Their success in feeding and reproducing occurs outdoors and is associated with trees, wooded areas, gardens, and so forth.

Outdoors, ladybugs look for small plant-eating insects and pollen for a food source. Ladybugs find their way into homes through windows, under doors, throughout basements, and in drainage pipes.

Ladybugs will not feed on or otherwise damage anything on the exterior surfaces of or inside buildings. They become pests in and around homes or other buildings merely because of their presence.

Once exclusion techniques such as caulking around the frames of windows and doors have been considered and implemented, it is best to remove the congregating beetles (e.g., by vacuuming or sweeping them up).