Common Residential Bugs: Are Ladybugs Pests?

Common Residential Bugs Are Ladybugs Pests

At Truly Nolen, we deal with all sorts of residential pest control problems. We tackle infestations throughout Canada and across our team, we’ve seen just about everything imaginable. That being said, some of the pests that we deal with are more popular than others. In today’s post, we’re going to briefly look at some of the most popular pests we deal with. We’re also going to talk about another residential pest control problem we don’t come across too often, but one will still need to be aware of: ladybugs.

Familiar Foes 

If you had to guess most popular pests we deal with, you probably wouldn’t be too far from the truth. One of the most common pests we deal with is ants. There are more than 100 different species of ant in Canada, and each species has different behaviors altogether. Some ants are completely harmless and you’ll be able to take care of them yourself. Others, like carpenter ants or termites, are a serious problem and one which requires expert pest control.

We’ve seen an increase in calls related to spiders in the home. Astonishingly, there are more than 1400 species of spider in Canada alone. That includes much-feared tarantulas and even black widows. Spiders themselves don’t usually cause too much harm (the ones that don’t bite, anyway). But they can reproduce quickly and get out of hand.

The third most popular pest we deal with is bed bugs. Bed bug numbers are on the rise around the world and some of North America’s most ‘bed-bug-infested’ cities are unfortunately in Canada.

Are Ladybugs Pests?

Now that you know about some of the most popular pests we deal with, how about one we rarely deal with. Ladybugs are often seen as tiny and cute insects, popular in children’s cartoons. It might surprise you to find that they can become a particularly troublesome pest.

Ladybugs seek warm places to hibernate during winter. They’re attracted to bright walls and exteriors and will attempt to find a way inside your home to share the warmth. If you find one or two inside it’s not a problem, but unfortunately, that number can quickly multiply.

Ladybugs, like other insects, communicate with chemical pheromones. Some ladybugs can smell these chemical communications from around 400m away. Once one ladybug finds a way into a safe, warm home for the winter, they’ll leave behind signals and suggest that other ladybugs follow. If several hundred of them find a way inside, you’ll know all about it. You’ll find that they leave stains as well as droppings and cause havoc throughout your home.

The Benefits for Your Garden

That being said, there are benefits of ladybugs being on your property – just not inside your home. Ladybugs consume a huge amount of aphids, which are particularly destructive in your garden. They eat plants from the inside out, so gardeners are normally happy to see some ladybugs buzzing around their yard.

How to Remove Ladybugs 

If you find ladybugs inside your home, you can try a few things to reduce their numbers. Firstly, remove the ones you’ve found a quickly as possible. As soon as they leave a scent behind for others to follow, you’re in trouble. Proof your home for winter and seal up any cracks, holes, and gaps – especially around windows. Sachets of things like cloves and bay leaves will also deter ladybugs.

If it’s already too late, then don’t hesitate to contact our Truly Nolen team. Ladybugs may not be a common pest, but we have the knowledge and the resources to handle any residential pest control problem you have in a safe and speedy way.