At this time of the year it is not uncommon to see ladybugs seeking space in your own home for the winter season. These pictures are two of the several that I spotted entering cracks and crevices in the siding on this house during a warm afternoon last week as temperatures climbed into the 70s.
Hibernation has or will soon occur in many areas, and your place is probably not the best spot for them to be. When they feel how warm your house is they may think the winter is already over and join you! Homes are typically quite dry in the winter, lacking water sources with humidity lessened by heating, which can be deadly for them.
Complicating matters further is the fact that ladybugs congregate in sizable groups of hundreds or thousands of individuals pheromones to attract one another to a lovely location. There are no easy solutions but figuring out how they get inside in the first place and preventing it is the best course of action if you have a lot of unwelcome but cute house guests in the winter.
Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
