My ladybug colony!

If you get too creeped out hearing about insects, leave now. And there are photos of ladybugs.

Thursday

This summer I didn't get much of a fruit fly problem, like I usually do. But I had a worse problem: Wasps. Yellow jackets. In late summer/fall wasps have to look more aggressively for food sources, so that's when you see them buzzing around garbage cans and houses.

I like to open the balcony door or window for the cats, but in August-September if I left my balcony door open I'd get about a new wasp every hour. And I'd have to lock up the cats until the wasp settled in somewhere because I didn't want the cats chasing them!! Grrr. It was all very stressful. I began to develop a theory that my emotions were attracting them.

The wasps are finally gone. But now it's ladybugs. Ladybugs fly in big swarms in the fall, looking for somewhere warm to hibernate. I've seen this before, big swarms covering the side of the apartment on a sunny day.

This year my balcony door was open (no more wasps!) so a few ladybugs started congregating in my home. Well I didn't want a billion so I closed the door (sigh). Ever since then I've seen them strolling around the ceiling, or the favorite bug hangout (the wasps loved it too) my rice paper lamp.

I don't know how many got in--I've seen a couple in spider webs, and one dead one on the floor. But next thing I knew I had 4 live ones in my lamp. They send out a 1/4 mile message if they find a nice place, so maybe one liked the lamp and sent out messages to the others hiding in my apartment.

I was just reading up on ladybug hibernation and found out that, though they don't need to eat (they live off fat stores) they do need water, so sometimes they die in the home of dehydration. Well I don't want to be responsible for killing my ladybugs, so I put a shallow dish of water in there. I'm hoping they can cling to the side and drink, without falling in. I've seen one customer at it already.

Look at 'er hanging off the edge drinking! So cute!

Updates

Later Thursday

The water has made them happy. I no longer hear them flying about in the lamp, they've all cuddled together. As of this evening there were 5 instead of 4.

Just now I saw another one up on the lamp cable trying to come down, but intimidated by something--so I put him on a piece of paper and gave him a lift down to his buddies. He's cleaning himself and exploring.

I went to take a picture and discovered a 6th one sleeping inside. Ever since the water, I think they sent out a signal saying: Come hither! Good spot! Websites suggest using a moistened paper towel to give them water. And I can feed them raisins or banana.

I suppose if ladybugs didn't have such a cute name I wouldn't want to keep them as Companion Bugs over the winter. In any case, I'm committed now--I feel responsible for my little buggies. I'd name them except I can't tell the difference between them, and also it might make me sad when they leave in the spring.

Saturday Update

I couldn't see if the water dish was empty 

so I put down a wet papertowel (on plastic, to protect my sad lamp.)

You see a little buggy drinking.

 

 I spotted another one up top, but he wouldn't come down and stay down

so I put a wet papertowel up top for him.

"Slurp slurp slurp."

 And then I saw two more!

That's 9 coccinelles (French for ladybug.)

I decided they needed a proper home. But I'd have to do it

before the snowfall.

I took a tupperware and drilled holes in the lid and around the sides.

And went out in the dark and put in soil, moist leaves, and a twig.

I carefully knocked each coccinelle into the terrarium.

And placed it on my shelf of special things, 

that the cats don't go on.

Hopefully no spiders will crawl in, but I don't know if 

spiders eat them--ladybugs taste bad. (And this variety bites too!)

I put the twig over the chopped up raisins--they seem happy to eat them.

I never did things like this as a child. My inner child is loving her coccinelles.

This type is the Asian ladybug. It's hard to tell from their color and spots because Asians can be any kind, but they usually have an M-like marking



on their behind-head, and they're the ones who invade homes.

My ladies look like this, with ~8 spots per side. But paler orange.