How to Get Rid of Ladybugs for Free
Ladybugs, which gardeners have long considered a beneficial garden friend, are beginning to invade homes with an annoying presence. Ladybugs crawl into homes through cracks and crevices, often around windows. Once inside, they make themselves at home by crawling along windowsills, floors, bathroom fixtures and any other surfaces they can reach. Many extermination options involve chemicals and significant expense. Before investing in one of these options, opt to try to get rid of ladybugs for free. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Silicone caulk
- Vacuum cleaner with hose attachment
- Nylon "knee-high"
- Rubber band
- Plastic sealing bags, gallon size
- Duct tape
- Diatomaceous earth, optional
- Broom, optional
Instructions
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Seal any cracks along your windows and doors with the silicone caulk. Ladybugs enter a home through tiny openings and cracks. You can minimize a ladybug infestation by sealing up as many small cracks as possible.
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Attach the hose to the vacuum cleaner and insert the nylon "knee-high" down into the opening of the hose. Fold the top of the knee-high over the end of the vacuum cleaner hose so that the top edge of the knee-high is visible on the outside of the hose by approximately one inch. Place the rubber band tightly around the knee-high at the opening of the hose to hold it in place. You now have a filter inside the hose that will trap the ladybugs and enable you to dispose of them easily when the vacuuming is finished.
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Turn the vacuum cleaner on and suck up all of the ladybugs that are dead or alive and crawling around on the surfaces of your home. Work until you have removed every ladybug you can find. Turn the vacuum cleaner off and carefully remove the nylon knee-high from the inside of the vacuum cleaner hose. Place the nylon knee-high into the plastic sealing bag and dispose of it in the trash can.
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Wrap duct tape several times around your hand so that the sticky side is facing out. Tap the duct tape lightly onto ladybugs to pick them up from household surfaces. Place the wrapped duct tape and the ladybugs into a plastic sealing bag and dispose of the bag in the trash can.
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Tips & Warnings
Often gardeners have diatomaceous earth in their collection of gardening supplies for use in fighting garden pests such as slugs. If you have diatomaceous earth, sprinkle it around the outside of your home along the foundation and along the outside window ledges, as it will deter ladybugs from entering your home.
Another alternative is to use a broom to remove ladybugs. Sweeping the broom across upholstery, woodwork and curtains may create stains, however. The staining might occur from the chemical that ladybugs secrete when they are threatened or it might occur from the dead ladybugs simply lying on household surfaces and beginning to decay.
