Asian Lady Beetles are making their presence known inside our homes again this spring.

The beetle, which closely resembles a ladybug, took our province by storm last year. Erna Wiebe, owner of Oakridge Garden Centre in Steinbach says they were actually introduced into the United States in the mid-1900's. Over the years they became hardier and began migrating north into Canada.

Wiebe describes these beetles as slightly larger than an average ladybug, a little more orange and they sting. They also exude a foul smelling yellow liquid that is used as a defence mechanism. Wiebe explains this chemical keeps enemies at bay. And unfortunately, the liquid can stain your wall if you happen to squish a bug.

With winter turning to spring, Wiebe says she is now hearing from people who say these beetles are starting to take over their homes again.

"What happened I guess is they came in last year seeking warmth and they have laid eggs and now they are hatching out as the sun starts hitting them," she explains. "They like to be in sunny spots and they will continue breeding and carrying on unless you clean them up."

John Gavloski is an Entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture. He says on warm fall days, these beetles will cluster on houses, attempting to find any cracks or areas to squeeze into a home.

"They will do it, and they will leave somewhat of a chemical trail that makes it easier for other ones to find their way in," he says. "So often when you do get a few in, you end up with hundreds, sometimes even thousands in the home."

Getting rid of the Asian Lady Beetle from inside your home can be done a few different ways. Wiebe says your best option is probably to vacuum them up. However, that won't kill them and so you will still need to remove them from the vacuum bag or they will start laying eggs in there.

There is also a product available called Diatomaceous Earth. Wiebe says it is fossilized rock and not dangerous to humans. The beetle is attracted to it and by crawling over it and consuming this product, it will cut up their insides and break down their outer shell. Wiebe says spraying this under your baseboards or in cracks could help. She says it might also be helpful to spray this along the exterior of your home.

When swarms of Asian Lady Beetles overtook our region last year, they chose to congregate on the south and west sides of buildings where it is sunny and warm. They also prefer light colours and so Wiebe jokes you could always paint your house dark as a way to keep them away. One way to get rid of them outdoors is through a product called Ambush, which is made with Permethrin.

(Some of the products available to get rid of Asian Lady Beetles.)Wiebe says these beetles are becoming a nuisance much earlier this year than last year and she anticipates it could be an even worse summer in 2018 than what we experienced twelve months ago.

"I think this is probably going to be a little bit of a heavier year," says Wiebe. "But it should cycle through if we are persistent in cleaning them up we should be able to see it waning in the next year or two."

The Asian Lady Beetle does have an upside. Wiebe says they eat a lot of aphids and other insects that can be harmful to our trees, shrubs and flowers. And because aphids like soybeans, Wiebe says once area soybeans start to mature, the beetles will probably begin migrating towards nearby fields.

Without these beetles around, Gavloski says we would have had more soybean fields sprayed with insecticides last year.

"So they do have that good side, and once they get outdoors, they're looking for these aphids to feed on," he says.

Gavloski says the cycles of the Asian Lady Beetle are driven by aphid numbers. He notes last year, we had exceptional aphid populations.

"In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a year where we've had such high aphid numbers in so many different crops," notes Gavloski.

Gavloski says the dry conditions we experienced last year probably increased the aphid numbers to where they were. He says periods of heavy rain can sometimes bring aphid numbers down.

"So we had huge aphid numbers last year and that's what built up the lady beetles to where they are, which is probably the biggest population we've seen," adds Gavloski.