Never seen anything like THIS before!

[azsnowman]

You WILL NOT believe this, I've witnessed lady bugs before, I've hit a nest or two over the past few years weed eatin' BUT........as God as my witness, they are in SWARMS, literally BILLIONS AND BILLIONS of them ALL over town, I've never seen anything like this :o There has to have been a MAJOR hatch, this is CRAZY folks :o When the sun gets off the back of the house, I will snap some photos and post them, the WHOLE BACK WALL is COVERED with them! I've seen swarms of locusts before, at least, this swarm is GREAT news, we've had a problem with aphids on the spruce trees, cabbage, brussels sprouts, notice I said "we HAD" a problem Has anyone else witnessed this before????

Dennis :o

[chadtm80]

Maybe the fires forced them out of where ever they were?

[breeze]

We've had that problem for almost ten years, Dennis. Seems
as if there was a certain pest chewing at all of the trees that
were being cut and taken to a paper mill, south of here. So,
the good folks at the paper mill allegedly brought in a large
quantity of lady bugs and released them. They tend to settle
in different areas on different years. I've been in houses where
the ceilings were covered with them! Spring and Fall seems to
be the worst times. Folks have always welcomed the lady bugs
in their gardens, but, it's another story when they invade your
house! :o

[pvroses]

Well I hear you're having a bug fest at your house dennis ! Prolly a little overwhelming w/ that many of them,but at the same time.... how cool ! Ladybugs will make short work of aphids and they're larvae are even bigger eaters !

Growing up we had a chinese elm in the front yard and it seems they like to swarm on that certain tree. Thousands and thousands of them. Are these "true" ladybugs ? Or are they the asian import ? The asian imports are round shelled and orange w/ spots,not to mention the little buggers bite ! post those pics! ~K

[seedlady]

Dennis, perhaps it's just natural that since you have an aphid problem, the ladybugs are finding a food source. You can always ship them to needy gardeners!

[azsnowman]

Now that you mention this Kristi, they are the asian imports, now..........in these billions and billions of them were some black ones with little green spots????

Sorry, didn't get the photos dang it, by the time I thought about, they had moved on!

It was eerie seeing the whole town under seige like this, I mean, there were BILLIONS of this little booger EVERYWHERE, in your hair, in my beard, in my EARS!!!!!!

Ya know Chad, that could be one possible explanation, they might be coming from the Rodeo Fire area, I don't know folks, you had to be here to see it..........it was like the old Alfred Hitchcock movie, "The Birds!" "LOL!"

Dennis

[breeze]

Oh, Dennis - that was a scaaaaaary movie, then - I remember
being chilled to the bone!

"The Bugs"....

It's the orange Asian critters that invade around here, too.....
right now, I have only seen the red ones....(*fingers crossed!)

[Bestofour]

Yup. I've posted about this on another board and Kvilledude told me all about it. My house is yellow and the side they come to is on the south. He told me that they like light colored houses facing south. How 'bout that. They come the same time each year and drive me crazy. They get into my house and I can't keep ahead of them. I tried being nice at first, sweeping them outside, carrying them outside, taking them to someone elses yard, but now I just vaccum them up and throw them away. We have to keep our food covered when they are here, and keep our mouths shut. They crunch under our feet when we walk. It's terrible and there isn't anything I can do. I've called everyone and tried everything. Hope yours don't come back next year.

[azsnowman]

Talked to a elderly Apache man yesterday about the invasion, he said in the Apache belief this is a sign of a *hard winter* with lotsa snow! Hmmmmm.......don't know how true this is, I will keep an eye out and let ya know, boy.........we could sure use a hard, heavy winter!

Dennis

[craigGP]

unlike the native ladybugs, the asian exotics are swarmers. yes, they like light colors, especially white, and the warm side of a structure. they can be particularly troublesome in the fall when they are looking for a place to sleep thru the winter. they get into everything.

make sure not to wear white clothes when you go outside. you will get swarmed even worse...

craig

[Amanzi]

Wow Dennis that must have been quite a sight! Are they still hanging around, or have they moved off out of your area.. I will be sure to check with you if the prediction of a hard winter was true

The only thing I have swarms of in my garden are skeeters and noseeums I'll swap ya if you want

[ColdFront77]

Pvroses, I believe you are talking about the same ladybugs I have seen in southeastern Massachusetts. They show up every so many years.... tan/orangy colors and if I remember correctly they have tiny black dots, too.

For a few weeks in the late 1990's there were so many of them around the house and a nice amount of them made it into our home.

[Lindaloo]

Talked to a elderly Apache man yesterday about the invasion, he said in the Apache belief this is a sign of a *hard winter* with lotsa snow! Hmmmmm.......don't know how true this is, I will keep an eye out and let ya know, boy.........we could sure use a hard, heavy winter!

Dennis

I was just going to tell you that!! lol. It is a Choctaw belief as well.

Aw I will not kill a lady bug EVER!! That is the ONLY bug I am not afraid of. lol.

[breeze]

I moved back here, home...in December....so far, I have only seen
the true red ladybugs in the garden! I do hope the Apache and
Choctaw beliefs hold true - we just haven't had a real cold winter, in
several years! Bugs Be Gone!

[azsnowman]

WoooHoooo Linda, 2 seperate Native Americans with 2 similar beliefs, COULD BE!

My son was weed eating our neighbors yard yesterday, came running home, "Dad.....you have GOT to see this!" Walked down there and under a apple tree he had just weed whacked, was a nest of AT LEAST 2 MILLION, I SWEAR.......I've never seen a nest this big before!

Dennis

[vbhoutex]

WIERD!!!! In all my many, many years I have never seem anything close to what you guys are describing!!!! I never have had to step on them or comver food to stop them or anything like that. Always been able to grab the one or two and walk them outside.