Halloween ladybugs

October 21, 7:44 PMNew Ipswich Community ExaminerJohn Poltrack

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Halloween Ladybug
John M Poltrack

They are BACK! Those pesky orange ladybugs that bear the moniker "Halloween Ladybugs" because they become active and annoying during the warm days of mid to late October. Actually they are Multicolored Asian Ladybugs (Harmonia axyridis (Pallas)) and are not the cute quaint RED ladybugs that we loved as children.

These creatures were introduced by the U.S Department of Agriculture (thanks guys!) to control agricultural pests from the 1960's to 1990's and they performed that duty admirably since they are quite voracious and manage to eat both pests and beneficial insects including the traditional ladybugs. They also can nip humans, but the one I photographed spared me that indignity. Squashing them is not very pleasant, because they emit a foul smelling yellow secretion.

I don't remember seeing them in New Hampshire before 1991. At first I was pleased with their presence as a bug predator, but now I see them as the final successor in the line of insect pests that plague us from spring to winter.

Eventually they will find their way into the home to winter over. I always find them in the attic crawl spaces in large masses. The only good news is that they don't reproduce inside. By Springtime they are flying around the house trying to find their escape.

Some individuals may be be subject to an allergic reaction to an infestation and it is suggested that everyone should avoid touching their eyes after handling the beetles. I intend to "handle" my beetles with a vacuum cleaner. Happy Halloween!