ladybugs in water

[macman7010]

we have a ladybug issue in our fishroom in winter. we get hundreds - literally of them crawling around, and of course they head right for the aquariums! is this harmful to the fish - and does anyone know any way of trapping these insects?

 

[QTOFFER]

Too bad you can't save them for the grden - they're a great natural control for aphids.
Maybe you could get some of those non-toxic sticky cardboard traps that they sell for roaches - put a few on the lid, so the ladybugs don't fall in the water.

As fat as ladybugs being harmful for the fish, I'm not sure. They do sectete a noxious-smelling substance when handled - it's supposed to protect them from predators. I'd bet the fish would find them unpleasant-tasting and avoid eating them.

 

[frog girl]

Sealing up the windows and or doors better might prevent part of the invasion. They may be going to the fish tank for heat (humidity too). Maybe you should put another light out there (incandescent) & see if the will mob that instead.

 

[Melody]

Macman... Lady bugs are great in the garden, but can cause some major damage in a house. I used to have probs with them too. They would get into the corners in my kitchen. They would actually swarm. I have been told they will eat (or maybe chew) on wood. I dont think its very fast, but over time. Dunno... They also like south facing walls/corners. I would do my best at exterminating them. You cant use sprays in the fish room I know. but I think the stickey traps would be a good idea. I would try to keep them out of the tanks. if you dont have other pets or kids maybe spraying the outside of the house, around the windows and doors? Good luck and let us know your solution!

 

[Toirtis]

Lucky you...your fishroom has become a major overwintering place for the local population! screens or good tops will keep them out of your tanks...but if the occasional one gets in and drowns, it is very unlikely to affect your fish beyond the chemicals created/released by decomposition. They are bitter, and very mildly toxic to consume...but there are very few things on earth that will not spit them out about 1/10 of a second after eating them.

 

[macman7010]

thanks

I got some traps for the windows, the sticky fly trap things that hang and the sticky roach traps for the window sill, they have captured quite a few.

I also got a bag a bug trap in the middle of the room that lures them with scent and then snatches them. Seems better. I talked to an exterminator and not only do they want to bomb my fish room, killing no doubt everything in it ... they did not recommend killing the lady bugs because they combat a local spider population.

 

[QTOFFER]

I think you were wise to nix the exterminator. You're actually quite lucky that ladybugs have chosen to hibernate on your property. If only you could keep them out of your fishroom.

The ladybugs are seeking a sunny place to hibernate that is sheltered from rain, snow, and winter winds. If you seal up your windows really good, and place a ladybug shelter outside, you, your fish, the ladybugs, and your garden would win! Here is a ladybug shelter I found on google. It doesn't look terribly difficult to make. In fact, I'm going to show this to my dad, who loves to build stuff - the aphids did a job on his cucumbers last summer.

http://www.backyardwildlife.com/Products/Bugs/SCladybugBox.htm

 

[Fluff]

That's a great idea. I didn't know there was such a thing. We get swarmed with ladybugs also, and while I like them, they do become a nuisance.

 

[frog girl]

A lot of the ladybugs that swarm lately are not the native kind but instead are the ones released as organic pest controls for large crop fields. They are asian. This is especially a problem in the midwest. They still will be hard on aphids but I sure wish they would use natives instead of releasing millions of the things where they don't really belong. Better than pesticides I guess though.

 

[FishLover14]

My fish room is swarmed with ladybugs andi have ones in my tank i put a towel over the only open place where they can get in a siphon them out when chagin water but they dont hurt anything, heck i saw my catfsih eat one-Yes i promise he ate it he didnt spit it out.

JMHO

 

[xray]

heck i saw my catfsih eat one-Yes i promise he ate it he didnt spit it out.

He probably didn't even taste it. I have a brother and a dog that do the same thing.

 

[FishLover14]

It had been in the water for a day so the bad taste proably leached out of it, andi use activted carbon so that proabbly di away with the odors and minor toxins.

it is off topic but xray, i have a dog that hunts crickets he is a riot to watch. Sry for hiajcking the thread!

JMHO

 

[DanW0007]

Archer fish maybe?

 

[Regen311]

The ladybugs around here (Ohio) are crazy. When I was in high school, our after school soccer practices were ever MORE terrible because those ladybugs bite. I never understood it untill someone explained that they were those Asian lady bugs that were described. AND the amount of them is just insane. There are far too many of them to be useful... and everyone around here (I do live in northwest Ohio, which is a lot of farm land) has a problem with dead ladybugs in any kind of outdoor shed. Even inside my bedroom at home, every fall there are tons of dead ladybugs on the windowsills and in the lights, it's quite gross. It wasn't a problem when I was a kid, just in I"d say the last 5 years. They're EVIL