Asian Lady Beetle Prevention Guide

Whether you know it or not, your home could serve as a hotel for pests while they harbor for the winter. Asian lady beetles, a species of ladybug, are a type of overwintering pest, or pests that typically hide in the cracks and crevices of a home during the winter. It is only when temperatures rise in the spring and these pests emerge looking for food that they become a nuisance to homeowners.

Asian lady beetles are found on the side of the home where the home receives the most sunlight, typically facing Southwest and West.

Luckily, there are ways to prevent Asian lady beetles from entering your home in the first place. DoMyOwn created an Overwintering Pest Control Kit to make it easy for homeowners to combat overwintering pests, including Asian lady beetles. Each kit contains a liquid insecticide, an insecticide dust, and a hand bellow duster.

Read below to learn how to use each part of the Overwintering Pest Control Kit.

Before the first frost of the year, you will want to treat the outside of your home with a liquid insecticide labeled for overwintering pests, such as Talstar P. Mix the insecticide with water in a sprayer according to the directions on the label and spray the following areas around the outside of the home:

• Spray 3 feet up and 3 feet out from the foundation of the home around the entire perimeter of the home
• On the sunniest side of the house, spray up to 3 feet onto the side of the house. The sunniest side of the house is where overwintering pests will harbor before they move inside.
• Spray in cracks and crevices around the home's foundation
• Spray around door and window frames
• Spray where caulking around doors and windows has opened up
• Spray around vents leading outside
• Spray around outdoor light fixtures
• Spray in soffits, eaves, and vents
• Spray where utility pipes and wires enter the home

Inside the home, you can use the insecticide spray to spot treat. Do not cover entire floors, wall, and rooms with your insecticide. Instead, focus on these areas inside the home:

• Spray around door and window frames
• Spray where utility pipes enter the home
• Spray underneath appliances and beneath sinks

Keep pets and children away from areas being sprayed until spray has dried (1-2 hours).

In addition to liquid insecticide, we recommend using an insecticide dust, such as EcoVia WD, around your home to combat Asian lady beetles. Apply 1 or 2 small puffs of dust per treatment spot. More than that might render the dust ineffective.

Insecticide dusts are great for hard to reach areas and are long-lasting, but can be a slow kill, which is why we recommend using them in addition to a liquid insecticide.

To use insecticide dust, select the dust of your choice. Fill a bellow hand duster half way and dust the following areas:

• Around door and window frames
• Where cables and pipes enter your home
• Around eaves and soffits
• In wall voids behind outlets
• In the corners of attics and closets
• In cracks and crevices around the home
• Underneath appliances
• Where pipes enter the wall
• Below sinks

Integrated Pest Management is a name for the series of actions homeowners can take to prevent the most common pests from entering their homes. Simple steps can go a long way in discouraging overwintering pests from entering the home.

Some basic steps include:

• Create a barrier zone by sweeping pine straw, mulch, or bark 6 inches away from the foundation of the home
• Clip back branches and bushes so they do not touch the house or structure
• Add door sweeps to external doors
• Clean gutters to remove debris
• Add steel mesh to where utilities enter your home
• Add caulk to cracks and crevices around the home
• Repair torn window screens
• Keep your home clean
• Vacuum often to keep your home free of crumbs

Learn more about integrated pest management in our general pest prevention guide.