I am not a fan of bugs in my house. I have written before about stinkbugs (Halyomorpha halys) invading our residence. They are useless and smell even worse than a politician. I was not and am not a fan of bees, yellow-jackets and others with stingers. I am compelled to swat, spray and otherwise KILL, KILL, KILL.
Spiders don’t make me happy when they join me in the shower. As a point of reference, and I mean this, all creatures large or small with more than a pair of legs are not welcome in our house. Centipedes, millipedes and howevermanypedes please take note.
But for some odd reason I am unable to work up the same degree of enmity for the ladybug (Coleoptera, meaning “sheath-winged”, and Coccinellidae, meaning “little red sphere”) even though she he it is just as disgusting if not worse than all of the above.
Why do they appear in Fall in my house?
After consuming aphids all summer-long, the air starts to turn brisk, and the Ladybugs begin to seek shelter for the winter. They cluster together by the thousands (for warmth, it’s presumed) under dead leaves, inside hollow logs, and even high up in the eaves of our houses. For still unknown reasons, they tend to prefer light-colored structures with a prominent southern exposure. There they will remain – in hibernation – until the warmer temperatures return, indicating that Spring has come and the aphid population has been replenished. The Ladybugs will then devote themselves to several days of eating and frenzied mating, the females sometimes feeding and breeding at the same time!
Gotta love females who eat and “breed” at the same time.
“Ladybug, Ladybug, fly away home….your house is on fire, and your children will burn. Except
little Nan, who sits in a pan, weaving gold laces as fast as she can!”
