HOME GROWN 278

I have those things that look like ladybugs on the west side of my house again this year. Some days, there are dozens and other days there aren't any. Why are they here now? How do I get rid of them and what are they?

They look like ladybugs because they are ladybugs. If you want to get really formal, they are Asian Multicolored Ladybird Beetles. The name alone should tell you they aren't native. Their name is also a good description of them. They are multicolored because they range in color from tans through orange-reds and can have anywhere from no spots to tiny spots to big spots in various numbers. If you look at the shield behind the head, they have a white round spot on each side. These guys spend the winter as adults, just like our "born in the U.S.A." ladybugs. The natives stay outside under loose bark or leaf piles. The Asians want to spend the winter in a structure. That means anything from a birdhouse to your house. The cold nights and the shorter days are sending that insistent message to their tiny brains to get in or become a bug-cicle. They don't freeze well. The goal is to find some place where the temperature would stay above freezing and below 50 degrees. The inside of you exterior walls would be divine. Being that they are not really brilliant, they get confused and end up indoors. If they stay at 65 or 70 degrees very long without food, they die. In most cases, the homeowner has already pounded them into oblivion long before they starve to death. Because they are going into dormancy, insecticides are usually not very effective. But a shop vacuum or a regular vacuum with a hose attachment work wonders. Suck up those that offend and empty the vacuum into a nice bucket of soapy water. Stir gently to sink the ladybugs. Leave them to marinate for a period of time. You can save the bucket and soapy water outside and just keep adding as you suck them up each day. Just make sure you don't have any little children or really stupid pets to fall into the bucket. If you have a vacuum with a bag, you might feel uneasy with the catch of the day in the vacuum. You might imagine them exiting late at night to seek revenge as you are sleeping. Not likely, but if you are worried, here's two ideas. Put several pieces of masking tape over the end of the hose to close off the opening between uses. Or put a nylon stocking with a sheer toe over the end of the hose. Push the toe slightly into the hose. Use several big rubber bands to secure the nylon. You now have a cheap, reusable filter to catch your little friends before the get into the vacuum. Don't run the vacuum for long periods of time with the filter in place; it puts a strain on the motor because it is blocking some of the air flow.

I have been walking around my property and have noticed that some of the wild annual and perennial plants were really tall this year. My nettles were about seven or eight feet tall. Are these plants becoming bigger?

They're just happy. This has been one of the wettest growing seasons that we've had in decades. April yielded virtually no rain, but May June and July were very rainy. Many plants responded to the extra moisture with extra growth. It appears that many people found that their nettles grew to record heights. If we return to a regular moisture year next year, they will go back to the regular size. A drought will mean that we will be dealing with dinkies.

Gretchen Voyle, MSU Extension-Livingston County Horticulture
Agent 517/546-3950

top