Ladybug Control: How To Get Rid of Ladybugs

This page is a general ladybug control guide. Using the products and methods suggested, you will get control of ladybugs. Follow this guide and use the recommended products; we guarantee 100% control of ladybugs.

When you think about common pest problems in your home and yard, ladybugs often do not come to mind. Ladybugs are practically harmless to people, and they also are eaters of a variety of nuisance pests that can damage your garden and plants, like aphids and spider mites. 

The problem arises when ladybugs move from your yard into your home. Ladybugs are overwintering pests, meaning that when the temperatures drop, they will seek warm places to stay. These conditions are most commonly found inside your home, which causes ladybugs to crawl indoors and hide out until spring.

During this hibernation period indoors, they can become an issue all winter long for homeowners by breeding and growing their population in the nooks and crannies where they are in hiding. Once ladybug populations become large enough, homeowners face numerous crawling activities or dead ladybugs within and around window and door frames, walls, and room corners.

If you are encountering a problem with ladybugs invading inside of your home or yard, then the following recommended high-quality professional products and easy-to-follow DIY advice. Learn more about ladybugs and how to eliminate them from your home using our simple treatment guide.

Identification

Before proceeding with pesticides, you must be certain you’re dealing with ladybugs and not other insects. This is important because if you mistakenly identify a ladybug when it's a different bug. Then, you purchase an insecticide; you may be disappointed when the product doesn’t work against the bug because of the misidentification. Identifying them correctly will point you toward the right products to purchase and the right control approach to treat this pest.

The following are some traits that set ladybugs apart:

• A fully grown ladybug is oval-shaped, convex, and normally a 1/4-inch long. Ladybugs can range in color from pale yellow-orange to dark orange-red.
• Ladybugs have six legs, wings, and antennae.
• While their body shapes are usually similar, the size and color of ladybugs vary depending on the species. For instance, the species commonly found in the United States is usually red or orange with black markings.
• The color scheme of their outer shell is the most obvious characteristic to help you identify a ladybug. This shell opens up, and their wings flop out when they want to fly.
• Ladybugs look similar to Asian lady beetles. The way to tell them apart is that Asian lady beetles have an M or W-shaped marking on their heads and are colored yellowish, orange, or even black, while ladybugs are mostly red.

Use the image and description above to identify a Ladybug on your property. Suppose you have trouble getting confirmation that you are dealing with a ladybug. In that case, you can always contact us, and one of our representatives will assist you in identifying the pest.

Inspection

Once the Ladybug has been properly identified, you shouldn’t apply chemicals to your yard or home. Conduct an inspection to locate the areas of ladybug activity, all possible areas that ladybugs might use to get inside, and the places they are using to overwinter.

Where To Inspect

When the weather begins to get cooler, ladybugs often begin to group together in clusters on the exterior walls of homes and other buildings. Before long, they work their way into the building via some point of entry, which can either be small cracks or crevices or natural breaks in the window panes, door seals, window frames, or foundation cracks. This is all in an effort to find a warm place to last through the winter.

Search the perimeter of your home for these points of entry and any damaged or missing window screens. Indoors, check behind appliances and in secluded areas of your home, like garages, storage areas, under plumbing, and laundry rooms.

What To Look For

You’re looking for active ladybugs and cracks and crevices where they are hiding or using to get inside. Ladybugs often cluster together around heat sources. You may not be able to see ladybugs who have found sanctuary in a hard-to-reach hiding place or void in a secluded area of your home.

Once spring's warmer weather arrives, ladybugs may emerge from hibernation and look for a way to get back outside. This is typically when homeowners encounter most ladybugs.

Treatment

Once you have confirmed ladybug activity, it is time to begin treatment. Remember to read all product labels, follow the application instructions on these labels, and wear personal protective equipment to stay safe.

To get rid of ladybugs, we recommend applying Supreme IT Insecticide as a barrier treatment for indoor cracks and crevices. For outdoor infestations, you can also use Flex 10-10 as a space spray to treat ladybugs in your yard.

Step 1: Barrier Treatment with Supreme IT

Use Supreme IT to create an insecticidal barrier around the perimeter of your home that will repel, kill, and prevent ladybugs from coming close to your property. Supreme IT can treat over 70 pests on top of ladybugs and has residual (or long-term effects) that will keep working for up to 90 days.

Determine how much Supreme IT to use by calculating the square footage of your treatment area. Find the square footage by measuring the treatment areas' length and width in feet, then multiplying them together (length x width = square footage).

The rate for mixing Supreme IT is 1 ounce per gallon of water inside a pump sprayer. This application rate will cover 1,000 square feet.

Perform a perimeter barrier treatment around the exterior of your home by spraying 3 feet up and 3 feet out from the foundation of your structure. Apply this treatment all over the foundation while also targeting window frames, door frames, eaves, soffits, garage doors, rain gutters, electrical/plumbing penetrations, and any cracks and crevices you found during your inspection. 

You can then move indoors to treat cracks and crevices where ladybugs may be gathered, such as ceilings, walls, and other areas.

Do not let people or pets enter areas treated until the spray completely dries.

Step 2: Outdoor Treatment with Flex 10-10

For ladybugs out in the yard, we recommend applying Flex 10-10. Flex 10-10 is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide that can be used both indoors and outdoors. It is excellent as a space spray outdoors to treat Ladybugs. Flex 10-10 is specially formulated for Automatic Misting Systems or other approved misting equipment.

To use Flex 10-10, mix 3.2 fl. oz. to 6.4 fl. oz. of Flex 10-10 per gallon, depending on the severity of the infestation.

Apply the Flex 10-10 solution in your yard and keep it out of the treated area until the space has properly ventilated.

Prevention

After you have treated the area and ladybugs have been removed, you want to make sure they do not make a return. We recommend preventative measures to keep ladybugs away from your property.

• Start your prevention plan during late summer and fall by sealing any crack or crevice outside your structure. Use caulk, copper mesh, or pest control foam to fill and seal any possible entry point into the structure and prevent the ladybugs from overwintering. Sealing these cracks and crevices will prevent them from getting inside and becoming a nuisance.
• Apply Supreme IT every three months to your structure, especially during summer and fall, to deter ladybugs from even coming close to your property. This will guarantee that no ladybugs will overwinter in your property.

Key Takeaways

What are Ladybugs?

• Ladybugs are a common overwintering pest that can show up in your home in clusters to hide and find warmth.

How To Get Rid of Ladybugs

• We recommend getting rid of ladybugs with an outdoor perimeter application of Supreme IT Insecticide, treating indoor cracks and crevices with Supreme IT, and using Flex 10-10 as an outdoor space spray.

Preventing Ladybug Reinfestation

• To prevent ladybug infestations, use caulk, copper mesh, or pest foam to seal and block cracks, crevices, and their access into your home.
• Remember to spray Supreme IT during the summer and fall to prevent ladybugs from reestablishing close to your property.