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bugs

invasion of the lady bugs

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posted 5 years ago

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well its that time of year again, swarms of lady bugs come out of the forest by the 10's of thousands or maybe even millions , they get into everything here. though any little crack or crevice, a major pain in the buttocks.
does anyone have any way to deter them

Chris Kott

pollinator

Posts: 3847

Location: Marmora, Ontario

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posted 5 years ago

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There isn't any, short of putting up the types of physical barriers you'd use to catch pollen on the air. Bedsheets, especially fitted ones, on clotheslines or strung between trees could catch a lot of them, if they're being carried on the wind.

The only other thing you can do is make sure you're in a building without any cracks or crevices. I am pretty sure that while they are edible, their natural defenses against predation make them impalatable.

-CK

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
-Robert A. Heinlein

Marco Banks

gardener

Posts: 1774

Location: Los Angeles, CA

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posted 5 years ago

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Could you send a couple million of them my way? I'll pay the postage.

I wish I had such a problem -- we've had a rough year with so many aphids.

"The rule of no realm is mine. But all worthy things that are in peril as the world now stands, these are my care. And for my part, I shall not wholly fail in my task if anything that passes through this night can still grow fairer or bear fruit and flower again in days to come. For I too am a steward. Did you not know?" Gandolf

Ruth Meyers

pollinator

Posts: 302

Location: West Virginny and Kentuck

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Oddly, my invasion comes in the early spring. I've been able to reduce the numbers substantially by plugging the corner gaps where the sashes meet. I use a tapered slice of foam cut from pipe insulation.

Greetings from Brambly Ridge

marcus thompson

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posted 5 years ago

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Here in northwest WV, they awoke October 19th. Covered the house, as in one every square inch. Inside I got them with masking tape on the end of a broom handle, then pulled loose into a cup with ammonia water. Maybe 300 per day to clear the house inside. Just now fading out due to cold weather. Saw a pickup truck at the store covered with them. People in the restaurant were all talking about them. I guess its just a 2 week nuisance here every year.

"To do good, you actually have to do something." -- Yvon Chouinard

GAMCOD 2025: 200 square feet; Zero degrees F or colder; calories cheap and easy

https://permies.com/wiki/270034/GAMCOD-square-feet-degrees-colder