Why Are There So Many LadyBugs This Fall?

I feel like I am trapped in a Rodney Dangerfield movie!  (Okay, huge bonus points to you if you get that reference).  But, seriously.  There seem to ladybugs all over the place this Fall.  If I walk outside, they jump on my shoulders.  If I get in my car, they're on the dash.  If I walk into my house, they're on my walls and my ceilings.  This little gal in the photo even joined me on a trip to the restroom.  I'm curious!  What is the deal?  Why are there so many ladybugs?

Well, the answer is pretty simple.  We're seeing a bunch of them because it's finally starting to get cooler and they're looking for some warmth.  In fact, I'm pretty sure the back of my house has become tanning bed for them.  My backyard gets a lot of sunshine and the ladybugs have turned my deck into a nudist colony.

I did a little research on these critters.  Thank you, WIkipedia!  The Asian ladybugs are not native to the U.S.  They were introduced here to try and control pesky aphids, particularly the aphids that were chowing down on our soybean crops.  Yep!  We fought fire with fire.  If you were an aphid eating a soybean you were likely going to be introduced to an Asian ladybug ready to eat YOU!

And ladybugs REALLY like warm air.  So, when the temperature starts to dip below 50 degrees, they start trying to move inside.  They most certainly have at my house.  In fact, I'm thinking of opening a bed and breakfast and charging nightly rates.

And, if you're wondering why there are SO many of them, they actually emit pheromones to signal each other.  That's why they congregate in huge groups.  It's like when humans decide to send out invitations to the family reunion and everyone shows up with casserole dishes at the shelters at Legion Park.

But the good news, these little critters actually go dormant in the winter.  They're harmless.  If they've made their way into your house, they'll make their way back out in the Spring (assuming your cat doesn't use her paw as a Louisville Slugger and bat them across the living room like she's at Wrigley Field).

One minor warning . . . they will bite.  But don't be a wimp or a drama queen.  They're not poisonous and it won't really hurt. And it's not personal.  They're just looking for a little pinch of salt.

So, they're you go!  A little info about why there seem to be so many ladybugs this year.  If you'd like additional information, CLICK HERE!  The Farmers' Almanac, naturally, has some helpful info.