How do i kill ladybirds?

[confettiwoman]

Ok, a weird one - i know everyone LOVES ladybirds, BUT i have found that we have a nest of them somewhere under the tiles on the front of our house, and they keep coming in the window of our spare room that as of next year will be our nursery all being well (starting conception attempts in January!)!
I want to get shot of these little blighters before any bundles of joy come along as i've been bitten twice and they hurt like and i certainly don't want to have to worry about them getting into cots.

Everything i google seems to say 'oh keep them alive and just put them outside', well unfortunatly thats not an option, i don't want a newborn (or any of our guests in the meantime) having to put up with these. I also want to get shot of them before i conceive as don't want to be handling chemicals etc.

Any ideas? Please? Before our windowledge turns polka dot where i have to squash each and every single one of them!

PS annoyingly the roses in our garden don't have aphids so no need to keep the ladybirds!

[SquirtedPerfumeUpNoseInBoots]

ladybirds bite!

have you tried antpowder? not had this problem myself, but they are insecty things so it might work.

[hellymelly]

Are you sure it isn't something else biting you? I must have picked up hundreds of them and I have never been bitten. Anyway what you have isn't a nest, they don't have nests. They hibernate, and you have them trying to hibernate in the eaves of your house. Come the Spring they will all be off again, they are only getting stuck inside by accident. You only need to keep the window closed and they won't get in anyway. And soon they will all be tucked away for the Winter and won't be trying to come in at all. Erm... and the reason you don't have aphids is because you hav

[Damnautocorrect]

Wait til spring and block the hole once they go?
That might not be very helpful but seems a bit harsh to kill them to me

[hellymelly]

..e ladybirds (pressed post by accident) if you didn't have them you would suddenly have lots of aphids instead.

[Talkinpeace]

ladybirds do not bite.
do not kill them
something else is biting you

[Vicki1972]

www.harlequin-survey.org/factfile/concern.htm

If they are problem ladybirds, they are probably harlequins, and apparently they can bite.

They are not native, they are a threat to native ladybirds, do not worry about killing them.

[readysteady]

Actually Ladybirds do bite but that's irrelevant to be honest just wait til spring and they will fly away as they are hibernating right now so won't bother you. Why would they be interested in coming inside anyway? Live and let live.

[Hawkmoth]

Yes, Harlequin ladybirds do form aggregations in houses and bite.

Can you get up on a ladder and spray in the stuff they use to kill wasps nests?

[Hawkmoth]

They do come inside.

They also, for some reason, go in fridges.

Kill them. They eat our native ladybirds.

[Vicki1972]

www.pestcontrolsupplies.co.uk/how-to-guides/how-to-get-rid-of-harlequin-ladybirds

[euwa]

Only want to add from experience of seeing it happen to others that yes they do bite, hopefully vicki1972s link will help you to solve the problem OP.

[dozily]

Even native ladybirds can bite. Do we really know these are Harlequins?

[CurlsLDN]

OP I don't have any useful advice, but can back you up. Our block of flats seems a magnet for ladybirds and every winter we have literally hundreds all around and inside the window frames. I don't mind them, but I do pre-warn guests if they go near the windows as looks a bit odd!

[guineapiglet]

Please dont kill them without seeking proper advice from professionals/experts. .Start wirh the RSPCA or local wildlife rescue place where there willl be someone who can identify them and advise in best way to help you deal with them. Council pest control may offer strategy but it needs to be humane. If they are non native this still applies.

Our garden was overrun with aphids this year i woyld willingly have traded places!!!

[Hawkmoth]

I would like to know the RSPCA's stance on invasive insects.

Anyway, I've just reported a Rosemary beetle thanks to the above link, not been on there for a while.

[Lucyadams184]

I would call pest control and then you know it is sorted out. I think it's better than trying to do it yourself.

[ComtesseDeSpair]

We had an infestation in our porch once. I like ladybirds (even harlequins, even though I know they're native ladybird killers) but clustered together in a big clump they're quite creepy. The best thing is to wait until spring when they'll naturally disperse due to warmer weather. Then you need to find out where they're entering and congregating and flush the area out with a bleach, menthol or vinegar solution: ladybirds emit pheromones to let all their friends know to come and join them and unless you get rid of the pheromones they'll just keep coming back. Once you discover how they've been getting in, seal up the gaps to keep them away.

If you really, really can't wait for them to leave, give Rentokil a call. They can fumigate for you, although will probably warn you when they do so that it won't necessarily stop them coming back.