How to Get Rid of Ladybugs

I love ladybugs. I really do. They are the prettiest insects I've ever seen. And I know that they are very helpful around the garden. They eat up aphids, which can totally destroy a healthy plant, like a rose bush or any other ones. And I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that a few ladybugs had decided to visit me one winter morning. They looked so pretty perched on the window glasses and the window sills, just patiently waiting out the cold winter. But by the next morning, the number of ladybugs on said windows had almost doubled. And by evening, almost tripled! They were inside my house, on the ceiling at the doors, everywhere! Now, I was alarmed. I mean, sure they're truly beautiful to look at, with their glossy (and may I add, quite stylish) red and black jackets, but I really did not want to end up entertaining a swarm of ladybugs in house that could do some serious damage. So I decided to ask around for help on getting rid of them. Given below are some of the best remedies that I received. Read them and you can try them out too.

Banishing Ladybugs from your Home

If your home has been plagued by a ladybug infestation, then you must know how frustrating it is. But one thing is for sure. If you're worried about what they eat, then you can rest assured that nothing in your home will entice their taste buds, so they won't gnaw through your precious rug or your antique sofa by the time you can figure out how to get rid of them. So, let us now see some of the tips and tricks that you can use to extricate them from your house.

Shut Up: No, that doesn't mean that you need to keep your mouth shut to ward off the ladybugs. What you need to do is ensure that all your doors and windows are shut completely all the time. Ladybugs love cracks and crevices. They'll sneak in through the smallest holes. So close them all up properly with caulk. If this does not help, then you can try out the ideas below.

Scented Candles: Many people have agreed that using certain scented candles can help to keep the bugs away. The best among these are mulberry or lemon scented candles. So light a few of them outside and inside your home. You'll have a lovely fragrance lilting through your home and the bugs will be gone too!

Diatomaceous Earth: Using diatomaceous earth around the foundation of your house can be of help, when you're trying to get rid of ladybugs. It is made of preserved algae and is one of the very effective natural pesticides.

Shop Vacuum: Another thing you can try, if the infestation is in its initial stages, is use a shop vacuum, which is smaller than the usual vacuum cleaner, and suck in all the bugs that you can find. Walk in and around the house looking for as many bugs as you can find, and vacuum them out.

Vinegar: Apparently there's something about vinegar that irritates the ladybugs. So, even though you might not like the smell at first, spray a little vinegar in your house. Smell being the weakest sense, you'll forget about the smell in a few seconds, but the bugs won't!

Bay Leaves: Another remedy, I was told works effectively against ladybugs is bay leaves. Disperse a few bay leaves around the house, on the window sills, at the doors etc. The fragrance is something that the bugs aren't really fond of. So they'll be off soon!

Spray: There are also certain solutions that you can spray around your home, to keep the bugs from coming anywhere near them. Here are names of a few.

• Detergent with water
• Ammonia with water
• Menthol Solution
• Mint oil

Fruit: If you don't necessarily want to kill the bugs, then you can keep a bowl of cut fruit out to attract the bugs. Once they're on the fruit, you can collect all of them, put them in a tightly sealed box, with very small holes to breathe, and place them in your garage to hibernate the winter out.

Though ladybugs don't harm (if they're biting you, they're probably Asian Beetles, not ladybugs), they can be a nuisance, as children may unknowingly eat them (yes, it's been known to happen) and you'll just get tired of cleaning up again and again. So, if none of the above mentioned remedies help, call in for professional pest control help and get rid of them. Good luck!