How To Get Rid of Ladybugs

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The best way to remove ladybugs from your home is to sweep them up with a dustpan. You can then deposit them outside, where they’ll help get rid of aphids and other garden pests.

Written by Brenda Woods Updated 11/07/2024

Seeing a ladybug during your day is considered good luck. However, if ladybugs find their way into your home and multiply, they can become a major problem and can quickly grow beyond your control without professional help. When in doubt, we always recommend reaching out to a top pest control company like Terminix or Orkin.

In this guide, we’ll explain how to get rid of ladybugs in your home safely and quickly. We’ll also cover the ways they enter a home, where they hibernate and reproduce, and how to shepherd them back into your garden where they can benefit your property.

For a quick DIY option, you could opt for the Katchy Duo Insect Trap, which can eliminate your insect problems without the hassle of an inspection.

Key Takeaways

Ladybugs are small, harmless insects that don’t pose a threat to your home garden, but some homeowners may be allergic to ladybugs.
Ladybugs find their way inside to try to stay warm during the winter months, congregating around windows and in dark places.
The most effective way to remove ladybugs is to sweep them up with a dust pan or vacuum them and then deposit them outside.

Ladybug Basics

You’ll rarely find a lone ladybug in your home or garden. If you do, that little beetle is most likely traveling from a nearby colony where hundreds of ladybugs are born and gather together.

How Can Ladybugs Benefit Your Property?

Ladybugs are considered a benefit to the environment. Farmers count on large colonies to fight aphids naturally because aphids damage crops. Ladybugs may lay their eggs near the aphid larvae so that young ladybugs can feast as soon as they’re born, thereby cutting the aphid population in a vegetable or flower garden.

There are thousands of lady beetle species, and they are generally considered “good bugs“—insects that are helpful to your garden.

Beetles That Look Similar to Ladybugs

However, a few species or insects that look very similar to ladybugs, such as the Mexican bean beetle, will feast on your plants instead of your plant pests. If you spot a non-spotted red beetle eating all the leaves in your garden, you may have a Japanese beetle issue instead.

Are Ladybugs Harmful?

Ladybugs do not typically bite humans, but they can lightly bite or pinch if they feel threatened. Some people experience allergic reactions to these small attacks, including a rash, welts, sneezing, or itchy eyes. One ladybug can also lay up to 1,000 eggs in its lifetime, making it easy for them to multiply in your home over time.

Luckily, they do not present any threat to the wood or fabric in your home, unlike termites or moths.

Why Are There Ladybugs in Your Home?

Ladybug colonies traditionally cluster in your home in the colder months to find a place to weather the winter. They can even emit trails of pheromones to attract other ladybugs to take shelter in their newly found spot. Ladybugs will find a warm, dark, and protected area to lay eggs in the fall before winter comes.

How Ladybugs Get In Your Home and Why They Stay

Ladybugs may creep in through windows, under doors, throughout basements, and in drainage pipes. You’ll typically find ladybug colonies appear in corners of rooms or windows for this reason.

Quick Tip

Ladybugs can also travel inside via houseplants, especially those that you transfer from the outdoor porch to the living room before the winter. Once they’re inside, they may use their chemical secretions to attract the rest of a colony. Inspect plants carefully before bringing them indoors to avoid introducing pests into your home.

Ladybug Lifespan

Ladybugs typically live for an average of one year—making them tricky to keep up with if they’re settling in for the season. During this time, they will lay hundreds of eggs and multiply quite quickly if not contained.

What Are the Signs of a Ladybug Infestation?

Finding one or two ladybugs in your home isn’t cause for concern, but if you see signs of an infestation, it could be part of a larger issue. Some signs to look out for include:

Large groups: If you find swarms of ladybugs inside your home, you have an infestation.
Noxious odors: Ladybugs release hemolymph, which is a yellow liquid they produce to ward off enemies. Some describe the smell as metallic or acidic.
Yellow secretions: Hemolymph is yellow and stains easily. You may find this inside your home or on your house’s south-facing outdoor wall.

How To Get Rid of Ladybugs

Though ladybugs don’t pose a major threat to the health or structure of your home, you’ll want to discourage them from taking up residence in the long run. Prevention, removal, or relocation are three ways to get rid of ladybugs, even if you have a colony forming.

Here are the top ways to eliminate your ladybug infestation or deter a possible infestation.

Sweeping and Vacuuming

As simple as it may sound, gathering up ladybugs with a broom and dustpan or vacuum cleaner is one of the easiest ways to remove a colony. For example, vacuum up a large group of ladybugs and immediately empty the vacuum bag or canister outside. Physically relocating the colony will discourage more from joining if the infestation has not grown too large.

After they are removed, wash the area with soap to eliminate any chemical trails used to attract more bugs.

Dosh Soap

If your infestation has grown out of control and it’s too difficult to simply relocate the colony, dish soap is a simple way to get rid of a large range of small bugs in your home. Spray a colony with soapy water or leave a bowl that combines soap and water near a light source where they gather. The thickness of the soap keeps the ladybugs from leaving the water easily.

Duct Tape

Ladybugs can be lifted up with duct tape wrapped around your hand or finger. This allows you to safely remove the colony and relocate them outside. You can also simply leave strips of quality duct tape out to act as an easy trap. We recommend Gorilla Duct Tape and the classic Duck Duct Tape for effective removal.

Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth offers an easy way to kill bugs in your home. The white powder can typically be found online or at your local home repair store. Sprinkle the powder around your colony or at the edges of common entry points to both deter and eliminate new infestations.

Light Trap

Make a ladybug-friendly light trap at home with common items in your kitchen. Cut a plastic soda bottle in half and flip the top half into the bottom portion to create a funnel. Add an LED light into the funnel, leaving room for the ladybugs to enter the bottom of the bottle. The beetles will flock toward the light but then get stuck in the trap, ready for release outside.

Or save yourself some time by purchasing a Zevo Flying Insect Trap, which attracts flying insects with blue light and UV light.

Surround Your Home With Mums

When autumn rolls around, fill your home, garden, and porches with mums—a plant ladybugs particularly hate. Since this is the prime season ladybugs look for a place to stay for the winter, the smell of the mums will deter them from filling your home.

Natural Repellent

A range of herbs and essential oils can also deter ladybugs from gathering or entering your home. Be sure to check if these items are safe for pets and children if they are in an easy-to-access location.

In the case of essential oils, dilute a few drops in a carrier oil, a spritzer bottle, or add to your DIY natural cleaning products and apply to areas where the bugs congregate. Some of the best oil diffusers can even prove effective at dissuading ladybugs from the vicinity.

Bay leaves
Cloves or clove oil
Citronella
Lavender oil
Lemon or orange oil

Chemical Repellent and Traps

You can find a range of very thorough ladybug repellents and insecticides online. Many of the sprays aim to keep ladybugs from gathering and kill bugs if they do come in contact with the dried spray. Our favorite repellants include PureCrop1 Organic Insecticide Concentrate, Bug Soother Spray Natural Repellent, and EcoVenger All Purpose Home Insect Control.

Keep in mind that the best fly traps also perform well at attracting and eliminating other flying insects, including ladybugs.

If you’re interested in how to get rid of other common pests, read the following guides:

Recommended Providers for Ladybug Control

Pest control is often best left to the professionals, especially if you’re uncertain how far your infestation extends. Ladybugs can hide in walls, crevices, and other small spaces too difficult to scope out on your own. We’ve analyzed the country’s best pest control companies that know how to get rid of ladybugs in your home or garden and keep them away. Terminix and Orkin provide comprehensive pest management services both to diagnose and treat your pest issue.

Get a free online quote from Terminix or call the company at 866-569-4035. For a free quote from Orkin, call 877-868-1416 or complete this quick form.

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How To Prevent Ladybugs From Getting in Your House

Ladybugs commonly enter homes through small openings such as foundation cracks, gaps in siding, or holes in window screens. The best way to keep ladybugs out of your home is to ensure these openings are sealed.

We recommend doing an exterior home inspection in early spring to find and fill these openings. Look for the following common pest entry points:

Gaps between or below doors
Gaps or openings in crawl spaces
Gaps or openings in siding
Quarter-inch or larger cracks in your foundation
Tears or holes in window or door screens
Unsealed cable holes or utility lines
Unscreened dryer or exhaust vents

Most exterior cracks, gaps, or holes can be sealed with water-proof silicone caulk. Expanding foam can be used to seal larger openings, such as wall recesses. Home improvement stores sell replacement rolls for window and door screens. Installing a mesh dryer vent cap is the best method for keeping pests out of dryer vents.

What’s the Best Way To Get Rid of Ladybugs?

Ladybugs are a mostly harmless nuisance pest that can find their way inside in an attempt to keep warm during the fall and winter. Ladybug infestations are uncommon but can occur under specific circumstances. We recommend gently sweeping up ladybugs with a dustpan and depositing them outside.

If you experience frequent ladybug infestations, there’s likely an opening that they’re using to get inside. Most pests gain access to the home through small cracks and gaps in foundations or walls. A pest control company can help you address an infestation by eliminating pests and finding and sealing entry points.

FAQ About Ladybugs

Why is my house full of ladybugs?

If your house is full of ladybugs, it could mean they’re setting up a colony for the colder months ahead. They may have come in with your plants or through windows or cracks and openings throughout your home’s structure. Ladybugs reproduce quickly and in large numbers, so a few visitors may have turned into many in just a few weeks.

How do you kill ladybugs?

You can kill ladybug populations with either natural or chemical-based products. Use natural approaches like diatomaceous earth, soapy water, essential oils, or one of the popular store-bought pesticides that kill ladybugs by leaving layers of dried poison around their nests.

Is it bad to have ladybugs in your house?

While it isn’t bad to have ladybugs in your home, they can become an issue when they multiply and set up colonies for the year. Though ladybugs cannot damage the structure of your home, you could end up with a large number of the bugs in little time if not properly managed.

What is the fastest way to get rid of ladybugs?

The fastest way to get rid of ladybugs is by grabbing your vacuum and gathering up the nest of ladybugs. Empty the vacuum bag outside away from your home so they can set up a new nest outside. Clean the area where the ladybugs gathered to eliminate the scent trails left behind to attract more ladybugs and take preventative measures like winterizing your home and planting mums around its perimeter to keep them from coming back.

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