Why and how do they get into the house?
In the summer, most often ladybugs accidentally fly into the open windows of an apartment. If you don’t touch them, they will independently find their way out and leave the person’s home.
With the onset of autumn the situation changes. The anticipation of cold weather causes these insects to gather together. Having formed a cluster, they look for a place where they can overwinter. In the wild, shelter most often consists of leaf cover on the ground, crevices in tree trunks, and hollow stumps. An interesting fact is that it is the accumulation that helps the beetles maintain the air temperature in the winter shelter higher than in the environment.
In the apartment
It is more difficult to find such places in cities, so in the fall ladybugs flock to houses. They mostly hide in cracks on balconies, window frames, and attics. But in the hot summer, when there is a lot of food and it is possible to breed offspring more than once, as the temperature drops, a massive attack on human habitation begins. Up to a hundred bugs can fly into an open window in just an hour.
Lacewing: graceful predator
These are very elegant insects from the family Reticulate, one to two centimeters in size. The lacewing is easily recognized by its transparent wings. She got her name for her shiny golden eyes. The most common lacewings are pale green in color. Outwardly, they look a little like butterflies.
“Lacewings bring great benefits to trees and shrubs in public gardens and parks, protecting them from aphids, psyllids and caterpillars that curl and eat leaves. Moreover, only larvae hunt pests, while adult insects feed on pollen and nectar of plants. But even in the short time of its existence, the larva manages to bring invaluable benefits to the city, exterminating up to a thousand aphids per day,” says the entomologist.
At night, adult lacewings are guided by light, so they can often be seen on windows. Sometimes they fly into apartments and freeze on walls or lamps.
There is no need to be afraid of them: lacewings are completely harmless to humans. They may bite, but will not attack unless necessary. Moreover, this will only cause a slight unpleasant sensation, incomparable to a mosquito or wasp bite.
Methods to combat ladybugs at home
These brightly colored insects cannot cause any harm to humans, but they cause considerable inconvenience. And if a couple or three can be taken outside or released through a window, then the question of how to get rid of ladybugs in the house, when there are dozens of them, becomes relevant. Experts recommend several methods.
Physical
Zoologists do not recommend fighting ladybugs by removing them with your hands, as they can secrete a certain amount of a special liquid - milk, a red aggressive liquid formed in the spores of the limbs, as a warning about their inedibility. Yellow stains on hands and clothes are difficult to wash off.
- In the fall, the bugs become lethargic and therefore can be swept away with brooms and taken outside the threshold.
- Sometimes a vacuum cleaner is used to remove ladybugs from the apartment. A stocking is pulled over the suction hose so that a small bag is formed inside the tube. When you turn on the unit, this is where all the bugs will be. All that remains is to release them.
- Using a light trap helps catch insects in a dark place. The unit is sold in stores. The bugs, attracted by the bright light, fly off and end up in a special container, from where they cannot escape on their own. We must not forget to periodically let them out into the street so that they do not die.
In cold weather, it is better not to throw a ladybug onto the ground; it may not survive. A more acceptable option would be a barn or attic. There she will find somewhere to hide until spring.
Biological
Biological remedies for ladybugs that are commercially available are not suitable for use in the home. Fitoverm and Iskra-Bio act on insects with the help of microorganisms. Although they are absolutely safe for humans, they are still used only in the garden.
You can remove bugs from your home using seasonings, the smell of which ladybugs do not like. To do this, use bay leaf or cloves. It is enough to place them around the rooms in open containers, and the insects will begin to leave the house. Mint works the same way.
Chemical
Of the chemicals used to combat ladybugs, it is best to use barrier agents. Preventive measures are always more effective. Pyrethrins or pyrethroids with a long shelf life are suitable for this. They are sprayed in those places where bugs enter the house. The substance begins to act after contact with an insect. After a short time, the ladybug will die. When choosing a product, you need to pay attention to whether it can be used in a residential area. If you don’t want to dilute the powder, you can use insecticidal chalk.
Pesticide
When ladybugs have already moved into the apartment, it is impossible to do without aerosol pesticides. You need to poison bugs only with those where the instructions for use clearly state that it kills these insects. As a rule, broad-spectrum drugs do not have the desired effect on ladybugs.
Before treating the premises, you need to take care of personal protective equipment and remove animals and children from the house. When finished, dead insects should not be left behind. They must be collected and thrown away in a sealed bag.
Folk remedies
To attract other individuals, ladybugs secrete special pheromones. This happens not only during the mating period, but also before hibernation. Thus, they call on their relatives to create a cluster. The smell of pheromones produced in special glands can spread over 500 meters. Therefore, many folk recipes are aimed at destroying this aroma. Other methods are also used:
- Menthol or camphor . You need to mix one of the products with water, pour it into a container and use a spray bottle to spray all the places where ladybugs are found. In addition to destroying the smell of pheromones, this will also repel bugs.
- also seems to work . Moreover, if it hits an insect directly, it dies.
- Since ladybugs have almost no enemies in the wild, they are afraid of little. Water traps have proven themselves well . Pour water into a small container, such as a bowl, and add liquid soap. The dishes are placed in a lighted place so that the glare attracts bugs. In winter, you can use a table lamp. Trying to sit on the surface of the water, the ladybug drowns.
- Boric acid is also lethal on contact. It is poured into places where insects can crawl.
- Food grade diatomaceous earth is also used for the same purpose . When a beetle tries to climb over a surface sprinkled with flour, the sharp edges of the diatomaceous earth particles dig into the exoskeleton, thus compromising its integrity. This leads to dehydration of the body, and the ladybug dies.
Biological drugs
Biological product Fitoverm.
Biological insecticide Bitoxibacillin.
If epilyachna is detected at the end of the growing season, it is advisable to use biological preparations. Fitoverm can be used 3 times per season with an interval of 5 to 15 days. Potatoes are sprayed with Bitoxibacillin as needed at intervals of at least a week. Processing is carried out in calm and dry weather. Potatoes treated with biological preparations can be eaten 2 days after the last procedure.
Preventive measures
As a rule, the invasion of ladybirds into human homes lasts about two weeks. It is at this time that it is important to prevent them from entering the house. To do this you need:
- Seal cracks in window frames and door frames not only from the inside, but also from the outside. This is necessary so that insects do not find shelter there for the winter.
- Use a mosquito net. If the outside is covered with bugs, then before removing it, spray it with a repellent spray. You can prepare it yourself. To do this, you need to infuse the peel of any citrus fruit in water. You can also use diluted juice.
- Seal the window frames with adhesive tape.
- During the formation of a cluster of ladybugs, seal the ventilation holes with gauze or mosquito netting.
- In the private sector or near the windows of the first floor, you can plant chrysanthemums. Bugs do not like this plant and fly around it.
conclusions
The potato ladybug causes the greatest damage from the beginning of May to the end of June.
- The best way to protect potatoes from epilation is proper prevention .
- To combat the pest during laying, you can use folk remedies that will repel the insect, but will not solve the problem completely.
- The use of a special mesh will prevent the parasite from entering the plantings.
- The potato bug can be completely destroyed only with the help of pesticides.
Create lawns
Yarrow, chamomile, dandelion, cornflower and other wildflowers are very attractive to ladybugs. Therefore, you should not try to mow vegetation in areas unoccupied for beds. Even a small, overgrown lawn can attract these beneficial insects and cause them to stay there for the entire season.
If there is no free piece of land, then you can make a green island on the roof of an outbuilding, for example.
To do this, you should create a bedding from a wooden base, a layer of waterproofing, foil or film, thermal insulation, drainage and soil, and then sow wild flowers and grass there. In the area of the overhang, it is better to build a limiter by nailing a board so that parts of the soil do not slide and water does not drain.
Hoverfly: almost like a wasp
The hoverfly is one of the most amazing insects found in Moscow. Due to its black and yellow color, it can easily be confused with a wasp, but if you look closely, you can see a lot of differences.
According to the entomologist, the hoverfly has only two wings, unlike the four-winged wasp, and does not have a poisonous sting. But hoverflies differ especially strongly from wasps in their behavior - these insects often hover in the air, defending their territory. At the same time, they produce a characteristic murmuring sound, due to which they got their name.
The hoverfly is also called the flower fly or the bee's helper because it helps pollinate plants by collecting nectar and pollen with its proboscis.
Not only adult flies benefit, but also their larvae. They live in the crowns of trees, feeding on insects harmful to plants.
Harm
The 28-spotted potato ladybug feeds not only on potato seedlings, but also on the leaves of other nightshades, such as tomatoes . It is also known that beetles love to eat cucumbers, watermelon, pumpkin, soybeans, sunflowers and corn.
the greatest damage to the crop during the development of the larvae and before the young beetles fly off for the winter.
At this stage tuberization occurs, which entails not only damage to already ripened tubers , but also the destruction of those still forming, which significantly reduces the yield.
The increased activity is associated with the beetles’ desire to gain strength and stock up on nutrients before winter. Beetles and larvae eat only the soft part of the leaf, leaving the veins.
In general, the damage caused is slightly less than that caused by the Colorado potato beetle .
In addition to eating leaf mass, epilyachnae carry viruses that are harmless to them, but dangerous to plants.
If you want to keep your land free from pests, then you need to know everything about them, including control and prevention measures. Read about who are fruit flies, shrews, bedbugs, moles, mole crickets, wood lice, ants, mice, nematodes, slugs and how to fight them in our articles.
Ktyr: robber fly
Another fly that benefits the city is ktyr. This predator has a rigid proboscis and poisonous glands, which allow it to quickly neutralize its prey.
“This is one of the most aggressive insects. Because of his lightning-fast reaction and gluttony, he was nicknamed the robber fly. Ktyr hunts almost all pests and is capable of biting through even very hard shells. It behaves very aggressively even towards such well-armed insects as wasps, bees or hornets,” says Elena Semenova.
Ktyr larvae are no less dangerous hunters. They are the ones who bring the greatest benefit to humans. The larvae live in the soil, feeding on pests that damage plant roots. These include wireworms, click beetles and caterpillars.
For a person, the bite of a bird is similar to a bee sting. It can be very painful and cause itching, burning and swelling. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid these insects, but under no circumstances should you kill them - they are very valuable and are even listed in the Red Book.
Appearance
This is a bug 5-7 mm long, in appearance resembling an ordinary ladybug , with one difference - there are as many as 28 points on the wings.
The color itself is also not so bright - brown-red or red. An interesting feature is a light whitish coating , which is actually tiny hairs.
Photo of epilyachna and its larvae:
