Camera Critters - Thirsty Ladybug

One morning this week, I had the sudden realization that I was not showering alone! Apparently, a thirsty little red ladybug decided that the shower was a good place to get a drink. Trouble is, she almost drowned before I realized she was there.



This isn't the first time we've had ladybugs in the house. In fact, the first year that we lived here, we noticed several of them in one of our basement storage rooms. More a curiosity to us than a nuisance, we began to wonder how so many were finding their way inside.

These ladybugs (actually multi-colored Asian lady beetles - not our native ladybugs) hibernate in the winter often in the crevices of the siding of homes. Exterior walls with southwestern exposure are their favorite choice because the sun provides heat. They are also drawn to wooded areas and some have suggested that they are attracted to light colors.

• Our home faces south and also has western exposure. Check.
• Our backyard has large trees and is adjacent to a small wooded area. Check.
• The siding is light gray. Check.

We might as well have installed a neon Vacancy sign.

All that information explained why we frequently saw them in that end of the house, but we were still puzzled as to how they were getting inside our new home. Since the initial sightings of them occurred in the basement storeroom, we began evaluating whether there might be cracks that needed sealing up. Sure enough, the conduit that ran through the cinder block out to the electric meter had not been caulked. That was simple enough to fix.

We still do get them occasionally upstairs in the master suite, where I expect they find tiny cracks around the windows. Obviously, we could control that simply by applying pesticides around the window casings, but these little creatures are so helpful in my garden that I'm willing to put up with the occasional intrusion. Besides, I don't want toxic chemicals inside my home.

Scientists are currently working on an organic repellent, but until then, the best mechanical control method seems to be sealing up cracks and vacuuming up the critters (or just picking them up) to be released outdoors. That has worked really well for us.

So if you find a thirsty ladybug in your shower, just know she's there for a drink after waking up from her long winter's nap. Once you get dressed, you can put her outside to work in your garden. That's what I did. :)


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