Asian lady beetles (pictured here) range in colour from tan to yellow, to orange to brown. Graphic created by Cheryl Santa Maria. Image courtesy: Andreas Trepte/Wikipedia
Finding them in your home
There’s not much to worry about if you spot the lady beetles in your home.
“They won’t reproduce [or] do anything else in your house,” says Noronha.
In other words, they won’t chew holes in your wood or clothing, and they don’t spread disease. They do, however, have an unsettling parlour trick.
It’s called “reflex bleeding,” and if threatened they’ll bleed from their joints, releasing a substance that Noronha describes as “very smelly,” and it can leave behind a stain.
If you find a few Asian lady beetles in your home, make sure to wipe down the area once they’re gone.
Unlike other insects, which only live for a few weeks, this species can live up to three years. When it finds a spot it likes, it will lay down a pheromone so it can return the following year.
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