The harvest has just gotten under way here. I am just starting to notice these aphid eaters gathering at my home.
What a pest they have become. They can wreck a day outside during my favorite time of year. They do not bite(they can pinch though). They get into your hair, climb down your shirt collar, and move into your home.
They seem to survive a "hard freeze".

My understanding is that they are imported. They became a problem here about four years ago. I keep hoping that nature would find a balance for there numbers. That does not appear to be the case so far.
Who else has them besides Iowa?

Cheezywan

Cheezy I am not looking forward to those blasted things. Never had them here untill about 2 years ago. Ended up putting bug Zappers in the house. I don't know how they do it. but they can find a way inside no matter what. I usually ended up with a dustpan full every morning when I emptied the zappers. Sorry to hear they are there allready, that means within the next two weeks we can expect them as well.

I tried spray last year. Malithion on a hose end sprayer. I did the whole outside of the house. The next morning it was like walking on popcorn hulls. It helped a little for a few days, but their numbers are too great. The wife keeps the Electro-suks upstairs and I run the Dirt Devil in the basement.

What of the smell with the bug zappers?
Cheezywan

Not as bad as mashing one, Even get used to the zapp zapp all night long, and just seem to tune it out. Even without the outside spraying, a large amount seem to die during the night and sound like pop corn in the morning. End up using the blow gun on the zappers at least once a week, to blow them off the grid.

I am going to try a zapper. The vacu-suk bag tends to disperse the stick anyway. I have noticed that they are atracted to the fluourecent lights here in the reloading shop. Much distraction listening to them bounce off of the tubes. I think I would prefer the sound of a bug barbecue!
Cheezywan

I decided to convert the lights in the Motorhome to LED, and do away with the Flourescent lights, well we have to use incandesant bulbs for releif. It seems that they like LED as well. Must be something to do with the daylight efect they give off. I haven't tried the pink bulbs yet, but they just might work. Anything to keep them out of the kitchen while cooking.

So as to keep the thread firearms related I will add this; Last year or the one before I was reloading some .38 specials. Load block had primed and powdered cases. I found a lady beetle "walking' on me. I deposited him/her in the case and squeezed a bullet down to seal the deal. I stepped out the back door and reduced it to "parts per million". May or may not have impacted the lives of a few more on the trip down range?

Just in the time since I started this thread, the population has grown! My wife has a zapper on her Wal-Mart list.
Cheezywan

I was just wondering how many I could get with a 1 1/8 oz load of #12 shot in a 12 ga.

That's funny, the only Asian Lady "Beatle" I ever heard of was Yoko Ono! Her voice did kinda make my skin crawl… Never knew her to bounce off fluorescent lights… Don't know how a beetle zapper would affect her… Never had to scoop her up in a dustpan…

.

In michigan ( Kent County ) we suck em up with a dirt devil by the hundreds everyday in the Spring and Fall

In michigan ( Kent County ) we suck em up with a dirt devil by the hundreds everyday in the Spring and Fall

Yup! And it is getting old. The house is pretty tight. They gain entry by landing on me and my family as we walk in the door.
I don't mind guests. Must be invited to be welcome though!
Cheezywan

In Mn they started showing up in 1998. By 2000 I was holding up a vacuum hose sucking them off the ceiling and walls. After tearing off our deck I found that they had settled under the siding, worked their way through the insulation and would crawl out from the electrical outlets and around the base board or window trim. Typically I would have to use the vacuum three times an evening clearing them out. The house smelled like cooked cauliflower, yuk :( I have since recaulked and used raid on virtually every crevice in the house. It has curtailed the numbers but not gotten rid of them.

Shooting and hunting related. How to use these buggers. :rolleyes:

1. After vacuuming them, place glue in various rings on a paper, pour the bugs out on to the glue, they make nice target circles to shoot at.

2. As indicated above, test loads using bugs. Not highly recommended. If so disposed, you can also try box elder bugs, see which impacts accuracy less.

3. Take vacuum cleaning bag full of nasty smelling bugs to dump around a trespassers deer stand.

Any other ideas? Any ideas about what to do about the genius who first imported them?

Brad S.
Hebrews 10:39

Hey cheezy what do the blighters look like??

More or less like a common lady bug.

Cheezywan

Hey cheezy what do the blighters look like??

Mash a lady bug, then mash one of them, then you will definitly know the diffrence. :eek:

I have tried to post a JPEG file and have been informed that it is too large. Might be a bandwidth issue? I will work with that.

Asian Lady Beetles seem to vary in size and color a bit from the basic lady bugg. Small pistol primer to #209 shotshell primer in size. Yellow to orange. Number and size of black spot tends to vary, in my observation.

It used to be that I would "on occasion" see a lady bugg from time to time. I found them to be "interesting". Now they come in swarms as the crop is harvested. They are invading my home and keeping my windows and doors shut tight as I can make them. They ruin being outside in fall for me.

Cheezywan

I never knew these critters existed. I take it they're marching across the country? Or are they limited by cold/altitude (jeez, I hope)?

They're in Pennsylvania too. Sure is miserable trying to shoot while having them crawling on your neck, eyeglasses and sighting equipment too. We find them in the house during the winter, but only in a bathroom. I liberate some outdoors when it's around 20º and send others on a long swim to the Chesapeake.

Box elder bugs are a recent invasion here. I only noticed them 3-4 years ago and they get worse every year. Where did they come from?

They're in Pennsylvania too. Sure is miserable trying to shoot while having them crawling on your neck, eyeglasses and sighting equipment too. We find them in the house during the winter, but only in a bathroom. I liberate some outdoors when it's around 20º and send others on a long swim to the Chesapeake.

Box elder bugs are a recent invasion here. I only noticed them 3-4 years ago and they get worse every year. Where did they come from?


As far as the asian beetle, they are pushing out the regular lady bugs we all knew as kids. We find very few originals left. I know in the 90's you could purchase the asians from virtually any garden store. The idea was to let them loose and your aphid issues were over. In MN they hang in the soy bean fields. With cold weather and harvest they take flight to find shelter. They are great burrowers, especially as I mentioned, in siding.

Another idea to keep this a shooting forum, Use them to measure primer space (Thanks Cheezywan). Better yet, use their shell, add gun powder and use them as primers :D

The Box Elder bugs have been in MN as long as I can remember. They too are siding dwellers. They do make a nice crunch when you stomp on them. I have found the best defense is spraying soapy water on the south facing exterior on a warm day when they are sunning them selves. This has to be done repeatedly. I had a biology professor that suggested catching a jar full of them, mashing them up, mixing with water and spraying on the siding. Supposedly this was supposed to spread whatever virus they had and kill them. Sounded like too much work to me.


By the way, in MN we have 30 below weather and like any other bug they seem to survive it.

Brad S
Hebrews 10:39

We have survived the main wave of the invasion here. It is not over yet though.

I have learned a little more so I thought I would post it. As BradS reported, soap water does kill asian lady beatles and box elder bugs. Only by direct contact though. It will not continue to kill or repel them once dried. Malithion does work and continues to work for several days after application. A hard rain will diminish it's effectiveness.

I have tried a new(to me) product that is showing much promise so far. Ortho Home Defense Max. I have sprayed(per directions) around doors and find it to work as advertised. They appear to stay off of my doors. At least I can go in and out now without 50 of them dropping into the house by the movement of the door.

My good wife put the nix on the zapper. Salesman told her of risks to children and pets. I will try another line to sell that idea ;) .

So far I am only using insecticides on the outside of the QTH. The vac-u-suk gets the nod on those that breach the perimeter.

Cheezywan

We have those nasty buggers here in southern Missouri, the only thing that keeps them away is a fast moving cold front or a very large fire. My way to deal with them is to buy the kids fly swatters and keep points ...1 dead ladybug ,1 point. We count to the thousands.

I would like to report that it is better this year than in the past four(or so). No "hard freeze" yet, and wet, windy conditions have kept them at bay.

The harvest of corn and soybeans continues.

We have a few, but not like years past.
AMEN!

I may learn to love this time of year again?

Cheezywan

More or less like a common lady bug.

Cheezywan
If they look like a larger ladybug we sweep up driwall buckets of them at my hunting camp in nortcentral PA mostly in the spring but also in the fall.

If they look like a larger ladybug we sweep up driwall buckets of them at my hunting camp in nortcentral PA mostly in the spring but also in the fall.


You might need to read the entire thread to "get up to speed" Mike. I "think" we are talking about the same critter?
PITA they have been for several years. 2007 has been better :) .

I decided to "add" to the original thread rather than "start" another. Sorry! I did not intend to confuse anyone.

Cheezywan

You might need to read the entire thread to "get up to speed" Mike. I "think" we are talking about the same critter?
PITA they have been for several years. 2007 has been better :) .

I decided to "add" to the original thread rather than "start" another. Sorry! I did not intend to confuse anyone.

Cheezywan

Yeah it's sounds like the same critter!
I'm easy to confuse! Just ask my wife!

Yup, if it is what I am thinking, they look exactly like a ladybug, but the number of spots on the back is different. Never saw one until about five years ago when I moved to Fargo, ND....
Was out in the yard when "ouch" something got me on the arm. I looked down and saw a "ladybug". I thought the ladybugs were just mean in ND, until the local paper reported on 'em. Pinch or bite, doesn't really matter since you can definitely feel it.

Jim

Hey Guys,count your blessings.
In yesterday's paper,there was an article(sorry.I can't seemto locate it)about Mayor Blumberg of New York City buying a batch of those little bugs from a Suppier in Montana.
There seems to be a shortage down there.
Frank

Hey Guys,count your blessings.
In yesterday's paper,there was an article(sorry.I can't seemto locate it)about Mayor Blumberg of New York City buying a batch of those little bugs from a Suppier in Montana.
There seems to be a shortage down there.
Frank

I could not do that to New York! Sure would ship to the mayor for free though. I have enough of last years casualties in the corners of my g rage to serve as "packing peanuts" for most anything I could aford to ship! The "dead ones" are like "old maids" in a pop-corn bowl. "Crunchy" to walk on.

My "limited" understanding of them is that; they eat and live off of aphids.

Aphids live on soybeans.

When the soybeans are harvested, the lady beetles are forced to scatter and find a place to survive and breed.

My "understanding is" , that is why we have them in our homes! They seek a reletivley "warm" place?

I'm not an expert. Just a observation

I have wondered at times when they were "too much" to endure while target shooting, How many(lady beetles) did my 22 rimfire bullet hit on it's path to the target? There might be some justice there?

Cheezywan

we have had them in our hunting camp for about the past 7 or so years, my brother and I used to shoot them off the ceiling with rubberband guns. we have them in my house, my wife hates them passionately. I tried a product this year, I can't remember the name, but it looks like an air freshener, and you can't hang them in occupied spaces, but I put them in the basement and attic, which seems too be the main insertion point

I could not do that to New York! Sure would ship to the mayor for free though. I have enough of last years casualties in the corners of my g rage to serve as "packing peanuts" for most anything I could aford to ship! The "dead ones" are like "old maids" in a pop-corn bowl. "Crunchy" to walk on.

My "limited" understanding of them is that; they eat and live off of aphids.

Aphids live on soybeans.

When the soybeans are harvested, the lady beetles are forced to scatter and find a place to survive and breed.

My "understanding is" , that is why we have them in our homes! They seek a reletivley "warm" place?

I'm not an expert. Just a observation
i have wondered at times when they were "too much" to endure while target shooting, How many(lady beetles) did my 22 rimfire bullet hit on it's path to the target? There might be some justice there?

Cheezywan

Any idea on how to get rid of them permanitely. My Dad has them in his house on the farm in the thousands. I personally am getting tired of cleaning up the dead bodies but no matter how many I clean up next week there are more bodies to remove. And that doesn't count all the live ones crawling around. I figure they are in the walls and burning the house down isn't an option tright now (maybe in the furure but not for another 20 years). Help!

Any idea on how to get rid of them permanitely. My Dad has them in his house on the farm in the thousands. I personally am getting tired of cleaning up the dead bodies but no matter how many I clean up next week there are more bodies to remove. And that doesn't count all the live ones crawling around. I figure they are in the walls and burning the house down isn't an option tright now (maybe in the furure but not for another 20 years). Help!

My shop in the basement is our most used egress in our home. The door is also on the south side of the house(where they tend to gather).

I tried a product call Home Defence Max from Ortho that is showing some success. I spray it around the door every couple of days. Seems to help a noticable amount. I also spray it on top of my fluoresent light fixtures here in the shop. They are on 24/7(mostly), and the beetles that do get in tend to be attracted to them.

That is the best that I can offer at this time.

Read the directions on the bottle if you decide to try this product. It is insecticide and should be used with great care.

Cheezywan

God knows I'm no environmentalist. But when in God's name are humans ever going to learn that bringing in a foreign (to the envirnonment of climate) bug, animal, weed, plant or whatever just does not work!

How many times have "we" broght in some sort of critter to "solve" a problem? Only to find out that the solution created a problem in itself.

This aphid eating ASIAN lady beetle is one of the lattest iterations in Humans quest to know better than God what critters should go where on this planet!

We have them too in WI. However they do not seem to be as bad of an infestation as in Iowa. Maybe it is because we have more corn here than soybeans. I have no idea. They are a pest here sure as sure can be. But are more of an annoyance at least for the last few years than a complete drive you nuts change your life problem. But with the way bugs reproduce, I may just be on the cutting ede of the wave!

They just hatched or came from wherever they come from here. No row crops at all in this area.

Next time I set the chronograph up I might chamber one in an air rifle. Check for group. If they shoot well, it might put the treehuggers and pita at odds?

2008 September. They are back! Earlier than normal this year? Harvest is started. Soybeans are near ready. Last year was not bad compared to previous years.

I can report that they work poorly as airgun ammo. I will work this year to study them for use as "filler" for reduced loads in centerfire cases. I just now "seated" one under a cast 30-30 Winchester load. RIP= Rest IN Parts per million as far as I'm concerned.

Cheezywan

We don't seem to have ladybugs anymore, the asian bugs have crowded them out. Sooner or later, birds will develop a taste for them. They are stinky li'l blighters though, ain't they?

Yupp! That is my observation as well user.

They are about a month early this year here. I re-open this thread about once a year. I sure wish something would develope a taste for them. I can't afford to shoot them anymore.

Cheezywan

A friend of mine who started me into reloading (decades ago) used to enjoy burning flies with his 20 gauge, loading just a primer. Now I know this is not the smartest thing in the world, but it might be a challenging thing to do say with a revolver where a short barrel and the ability to have a repeater would come in handy. The beetles I would think are a bit tougher than flies, so a follow up "shot" might be necessary. :eek:

You could even make a game of it to check the effective range of the primers to see how far away DRT is.