<p>I figured that the parents on CC would know more about this. My dorm room is starting to get a few ladybugs as the weather is getting warmer. They normally stay around the window only, and don’t really come further into the room.</p>
<p>I got a lot of ladybugs around February (again, only around the window). I heard this was because they needed somewhere warm to hibernate. I had the cleaners get rid of them, and when a few more showed up, I lit cinnamon candles. I’m absolutely terrified of ladybugs, so I kept the curtains closed. That was around the middle of January. I opened the curtains around last month (it was still quite cold out) and saw that they were all gone. The reason that I didn’t try opening the curtains before was because, as I said, I’m terrified of ladybugs and I had gotten used to keeping them closed.</p>
<p>Yesterday, I noticed around 3 ladybugs on the window. These ones are a bit more darkly colored (brown and maroon-ish)then the previous ones. I lit cinnamon candles, but they’re still there.</p>
<p>How do I get rid of them? I don’t have a vacuum, and I’m too terrified to squash them with a tissue (an irrational fear, I know, but what can I do?). Should I get bug spray? And if I do use some sort of ladybug killer, will it get them flying around?
Also, is it likely that they’ll leave the window and come further into my room?</p>
<p>Besides being uncomfortable with having ladybugs inside and worrying about them coming further in, it’s just a shame to cover up such a nice window view on a sunny day.</p>
<p>They are harmless. In fact, gardeners consider them beneficial because they kill destructive aphids.</p>
<p>Get a cheap hand-held vacuum cleaner. Suck them up and release them outdoors (downwind from your dorm). If it’s not convenient to do that immediately, seal the unplugged vacuum in a plastic bag.</p>
<p>After removing the little critters as tk suggested, I would also try to locate the point of entry and seal it off to prevent others from entering.</p>
<p>We are always inundated with ladybugs in the winter whenever there is a rapid warmup. They lay their eggs under the siding of the house and are impossible to totally get rid of. They manage to squeeze their way in no matter how much we try to seal the door on the sunny side of the house. So the cats eat some and I vacuum the rest up. I no longer find ladybugs cute, I am a bit disgusted by them.</p>
<p>My D1 had a similar problem with stinkbugs. She and her roommate used liberal amounts of duct tape to seal all the window edges and it helped. </p>
<p>You could also find someone who isn’t afraid of them to relocate them. I do it all the time at work. I just put a little card near them, they crawl on, and I carry it to the window and shake them off outside. They probably come back in the next day but none of us mind and we have to open our windows periodically so we can’t seal them out. </p>
<p>Once I had a ton of ladybugs in my mudroom and collected them all into a paper bag which I put outside in the garden. The next day they were all back in my mudroom! They are attracted to certain colors and the bright yellow of the room is one.</p>
<p>It might be easier to find a therapist to help you deal with your phobias.
Or get the grounds crew to get rid of the aphids or what ever food source is attracting them.</p>
Regardless, I have a very strong fear of them. I know it’s irrational, but telling myself that doesn’t help me feel better.</p>
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I’ld really rather not spend money on a vacuum cleaner. And to be honest, the ladybugs would be too close for comfort in this solution. I would hardly be able to open the vacuum cleaner or the plastic bag to let them out.</p>
<p>I liked the cinnamon candles solution so much, because it simply makes my room unpleasant for the ladybugs. Which means that not only will they leave on their own, but no new ones would enter either. Is there any sort of scent that they’ll find unattractive?</p>
<p>We get them every year and they go up into the point of my cathedral ceiling and all lump together. They’re gross, and I notice they only go on the sunny side of the house. Not helpful for this year, but I wonder if next year you can get a room that doesn’t have the sun on the windows all day.</p>
<p>I noticed when we got the front window replaced it helped a lot, but my front door is still a problem. </p>
<p>I think what you have are Asian Lady Beetles which are different than lady bugs. You might want to google around to see if there are any traps that are sold to catch them. Check the caulking around the windows, too. I’ve had these a few times, mostly in late fall - I’ve vacuumed them up.</p>
<p>I suspect the above poster is correct. These are probably an Asian beetle look alike and not really a lady bug. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is not a method to permanently get rid of them. Even insecticides need to be applied repeatedly. Like some one else mentioned they will often come up when we get a brief warm stretch in the winter. The good news is that once true warm weather comes, they will likely go outside. </p>
<p>if they are really ladybugs ask a friend to vacuum them and relocate them. A friend with a garden might be glad to have them. I’ve purchased batches of them from a garden supply place when my roses had aphids.</p>
<p>My parents used to get these in swarms, and then it just stopped. I’m not sure what changed. We would have dozens upon dozens of them in each of the upstairs rooms. It did just seem to be certain times of year, and it should be warming up soon-- so maybe you are right that they will go back outside soon. If keeping the curtains closed was okay I would probably just do that until spring starts properly. </p>
<p>My last dorm had a couple of spiders and centipedes. I don’t do bugs, my fiance buys crazy commercial grade insecticides and sprays our baseboards and foundation once every 6 months or so which keeps our house pretty much completely bug free, I am that neurotic-- so I get it. In my dorm, I put masking tape around all the windows, all the baseboards, and any cracks in the molding or openings where anything could get in (I snapped after the centipede.) That seemed to help. It made me feel better, anyway.</p>
<p>Some things are just icky even if they can’t hurt us. I don’t share your fear of lady bugs but I am with you! If it were a spider I’d be shrieking like a little girl. </p>
<p>@collegealum314 Thanks for making me laugh. I needed it.</p>
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That makes sense. Yesterday was the first real non-winter day. I didn’t have to put my coat on (though I was wearing my boots). Whereas the day before yesterday you could still call it winter. I haven’t gone out today, but judging by the temperature inside it’s quite warm right now as well. I hope you’re right, and they leave soon.</p>
<p>Yes, the orangish ones are actually a crossbreed, and I didn’t want to add to the original posters fear of them, but they do bite. Yuck, yuck, yuck. </p>
<p>For several years, we got them in swarms, also - every October. Thousands of them. They were smelly!! I just kept vacuuming them up, again and again and again… After a few years, they went away.</p>
<p>They do bite, but in more of a, “hey, did that thing just bite me?” than an actual “ow” sort of way, in my experience. And I am a big sissy, I run from bees (and am not allergic.) </p>
<p>When we came back from vacation last year all the clothes in my closet were filled with bees. I had to call my boss in hysterics and say, “I am going to be late, all my clothes are full of bees!” and wait for my fiance to drive back home from work to retrieve something bee-free for me to wear. As I waited half naked in the garage because I ran out of the house! </p>
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