# Asian lady beetles and box elders



## ChrisFixit (Sep 13, 2010)

Hey bbguy5 I'm ChrisFixit from the Home Depot. You're in a tough spot since the beetles already have a foothold. Prevention is typically the best bet with lady beetles. Making sure any cracks and crevices are sealed is a good way to stop them. I was looking up some info on this for a customer a few weeks ago and a lot of what I read suggest against using chemicals unless you have a full blown infestation. This was due in part to them spreading chemical over unintended surfaces. Sweeping and vacuuming with a stocking secured to the hose to "bag" them is solution. Another solution that came up was this TRAP. It's a trap for indoor use that uses light and was developed by an entomologist named Louis Tedders. That maybe a bit over kill but it got me thinking that since they are entering through your attic maybe placing a similar light up there would at least corral them to the attic space. I hope some bit of this may be helpful. There are some great folks on these boards so I'm sure someone else will chime in to help out.
Cheers,
ChrisFixit


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## bbguy5 (Jan 3, 2011)

Killed 20 so far the last 4 days. Guess its time to call pest control


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## FlyingHammer (Jun 22, 2009)

I wish I only saw 20 over 4 days. We probalby get 20 a day. I kill them as soon as I see them, but they keep coming. They seem to congregate in an upstairs bathroom, and it looks like they're coming in through the vent fan. I plan to get up in the attic this summer and seal up every crack I can find.


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## PAbugman (Jun 29, 2010)

This isn't a good time of year to treat for either pest. The ones that you are seeing are/were living behind the siding, in/under insulation, in wall voids overwintering. When the sun shines, even in the winter, it warms up the wall voids and they think it is spring. They aren't coming in from the outside, they are already inside. Treating in the fall is the most efficient, but even that doesn't work very well. No good answers here, sorry. I just threw a stink but outside, as I do every day, in my own house. Can't get no respect!


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## baum (Jul 14, 2009)

I wish i could tell you the name of the product, but home depot carries it, comes in a yellow 1 gallon jug. (i put it into a hudson type sprayer). its about $20 a bottle, its the best stuff you can use. 

In the fall season the fromt of my house is covered with them. after i sprayed all i had to do was sweep up the dead ones. they die within 20-30 minutes (or sooner) of landing on it. It leaves no stains. i sprayed it on wood trim, vinal siding.


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## Steeler99 (Jan 30, 2011)

This is off topic slightly, but is your house white or a light color. Every summer I used to become inundated with them, and never found a cure. But what I found strange is that in my neighborhood, the only houses that had them were white.

If you do find a solution, please come back and post on here. I've heard the same as others have suggested and they can be a real pain to get rid of. The thing l like about the attic light idea is it may give you an idea of where they're coming in. Perhaps you'll be able to see light emitting from any openings at night, who knows. Of course, being that they're in your house already, you'll have to get them out as well as try to find how they're entering.


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## bbguy5 (Jan 3, 2011)

My house is a beige color so yesnits a light color. One of the soultions i found was to change the siding, and thats just not an option. We're going to close off the bathroom window with screen to see if that contains them.


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