lah

I hate the *%#$@ things! I know I'll be accused of being a troll but you
really have to be here to understand my hatred. My open front porch is on
the south side of the house. At this time of year it is virtually unusable
thanks to those red and black spotted menaces! Opening the front door is
like to walking into a swarm! Actually the front door simply can't be used
at this time of year. I wish the jerk who imported these things had to live
with them like I do. Kill a ladybug, save an aphid!

paghatspam-me-not

They usually prefer western sun exposures for hibernation purposes. It is
possible to discourage them from using your porch without harming them
much:

Rig up a vaccuum cleaner (one with a hose, not beaters) with a fresh bag
in it, or a nylon stocking or loose cheesecloth in front of the bag or a
nylon stocking stuffed down the front of the hose. Vaccuum the ladybirds
into the sack or stocking, to be emptied on the property edge or nearby
woods, underneath or in the folds of a black tarp that can be permanently
located (perhaps near a compost heap or along the west edge of a tool shed
or garage), or deposit the sleepy ladies in the hollow of a rotting tree.
They want a relatively dry slightly warmed place to hibernate, & rotting
wood or west-sunned dark surfaces stay warmer than the atmospheric
temperature, so can be better attractants than porches or the insides of
walls. When they emerge next spring from out of a black tarp or tree
hollow, they will take note of where they are at, & if struck them as a
good place to have wintered, they may return to the same spot the next
winter.

Ladybirds have "scouts" which find ideal hibernation spots & somehow the
news spreads among them & they remember the spot for generations; they
arrive in autumn from a considerable distance, then emerge in spring to
scatter far from your gardens, so the person with the most ladybirds
hibernating often end up with the fewest when they're needed in spring.
When they fixate on a specific spot they'll return to it year after year
in increasing numbers, but if the mass-hibernation spot is frequently
disturbed, such as by vaccuuming them up & moving them, their "scouts"
look for safer refuge, & whether or not they continue to return to the
tarp-spot provided for them, they eventually stop using a porch because
they'll have learned it gets disrupted.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com

lah

I appreciate the information but I don't think you understand the magnitude
of the problem. This is a two story house and the south side is just
covered with ladybugs. Getting a vacuum up there would be pretty tricky.
If I do try this you can be sure I'm not going to let them go - gas and a
match it is! Sorry I realize this probably offends some but enough is
enough.

cheryl

In the fine newsgroup "rec.gardens", "LAH"
<wildcatsareus@kansas.nonet> artfully composed this message within
<news:Y%C9d.4145$Ae.928@newsread1.dllstx09.us.to.v erio.net> on 08
Oct 2004:


I haven't read this group in a while, and checked in and upon seeing
your post, I sort of have to agree. I have the same problem with them
every year (though, not yet, too early) and those things are
agressive and bite (yes, these "lady"bugs bite. The first year I
bought my house they found their way in via the ba*****t and I've
never found a hole to plug, but they haven't been that bad since. But
outdoors, they swarm in the fall. I like the idea of vac***ing them
up and relocating them.

--
Cheryl

lah

Yesterday I tried vacuuming. It was sort of like trying to drain Lake Erie
with a tea cup - sounds good in theory but not very practical nor very
effective.

Lois

OTOH, my peonies didnt have any aphids or "dew" on them this year. flower buds were
clean as a whistle. so maybe they are doing some good out there. Ingrid


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
http://www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endor*****ts or recommendations I make.

fran

If your porch is set up so you can do this, blast 'em with water from
a hose set on jet. You may have to do it repeatedly, but they'll
eventually decide your porch ain't the best place to be.

madgardener

great solution, Paggers!!
madgardener

--
Humankind has not woven the web of life.
We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
All things are bound together.
All things connect." Chief Seattle

doug kanter

Where do you live?

kelly houston

A number of companies sell asian ladybug traps. They run about $30,
though it sounds like you might need more than one. They use a
combination of a battery-operated light and a pheromone lure to attract
the ladybugs into a collector.

Gardener's Supply sells them, as does the Vermont Country Store, and
Cooper Seeds.

http://www.gardeners.com
http://www.vermontcountrystore.com
http://www.cooperseeds.com


-Kelly