What’s With All the Ladybugs in Michigan Right Now?

Is your home being invaded by ladybugs? You're not alone.

It's that wonderful time of the year where critters and other pests begin making their way indoors ahead of the winter season. Unfortunately, that often means we've got some unwanted houseguests.

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Be it stinkbugs or ladybugs nowhere is safe from invasion, but is it just me or do all the ladybugs seem to be a bit worse in Michigan this year compared to last? According to Michigan State University,

Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of lady beetles are gathering around homes and other structures as autumn gets under way in Michigan. This lady beetle, or ladybug, is the Multicolored Asian Lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis

A Threat to Michigan?

This is another one of those pesky invasive species much like the spotted lanternfly or the hemlock wooly adelgid. A native beetle of Asia, it is believed these ladybugs love Michigan in particular because of our large soybean crop, "and the Asian Multicolored Lady beetle is taking advantage of this unlimited food source." says the experts at MSU.

While these beetles do in fact bite, they are not a threat to humans or animals,

These ‘bites’ are very different from the bite of a mosquito and other blood sucking parasites...more like a pinch and no blood meal is taken. The bite can be painful and very annoying if many of the beetles are present.

Actually, if the true ladybug population weren't so large environmentalists would advise against sucking them up in the vacuum because they do actually benefit the ecosystem. However, that doesn't mean they aren't still annoying.

How to Deter Them

These beetles are looking for someplace warm to hide for winter so that means any vents, cracks, and crevices would make great entry points; be sure to check your home and seal off any openings once cooler weather hits.

Oddly enough, dark-colored buildings are reported to have less problems with these pests. September and October are the ideal months to treat the exterior of your home as that's when they usually begin to appear in Michigan.

Thankfully, experts say once inside the beetles do not breed or reproduce! More on Michigan's ladybugs here.