Ladybugs spotted around the area

After the last couple of warm days there’s been an increase in the number of visible ladybugs.

Ladybugs feed on insects that live in plants and on their leaves. Mark Mechling at the Ohio State University Extension Office in Muskingum County said the ladybugs can be a problem but are usually just more of a nuisance as they try to find places to hibernate.

"As the leaves drop off and their food supply becomes scarcer, then the ladybugs, that’s a signal to the ladybugs to head indoors and hibernate for the winter," said Mechling.

Ladybugs can get through cracks as small as 1/8 inch, so Mechling said the best way to avoid getting them in your home is to caulk around your windows and doors.

"If people are seeing them emerge in a particular room they might want to go outside of that room and check the windows and doors and make sure they’re sealed up and caulked up well," said Mechling.

Ladybugs do emit a foul odor and can stain carpet or furniture if they’re smashed, so Mechling said sweeping them outside is a much better way to get rid of them.

For more information on how to prevent them from entering your home or getting them out visit the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle, or ladybug fact sheet at: http://ohioline.osu.edu/ent-fact/pdf/0044.pdf.