Get out of my rum

[Sean]

¬_¬http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/3914/ladybeetle.png

Anyone else have problems with these little shits?


ASIAN LADY BEETLE INFESTATION OF STRUCTURES


by Michael F. Potter, Ric Bessin, and Lee Townsend, Extension Entomologists
University of Kentucky College of Agriculture


Large numbers of lady beetles (ladybugs) infesting homes and buildings in the United States were first reported in the early 1990s. Ladybugs normally are considered beneficial since they live outdoors and feed on plant pests.

One species of lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis, can be a nuisance however, when they fly to buildings in search of overwintering sites and end up indoors. Once inside they crawl about on windows, walls, attics, etc., often emitting a noxious odor and yellowish staining fluid before dying.

In many areas of the U.S., these autumn invasions are such a nuisance that they affect quality of life.

WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?

The Asian Lady Beetle, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas), is relatively new to this country. The beetle is native to Asia (e.g., China, Russia, Korea, Japan), where it dwells in trees and fields, preying on aphids and scale insects. The first field populations in the United States were found in Louisiana in 1988. Since then the beetle has expanded its range to include much of the U.S. and parts of Canada. Earliest records in Kentucky date back to a few specimens collected in Hickman County in 1992.

During the 1960s to 1990s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture attempted to establish the Asian lady beetle to control agricultural pests, especially of pecans and apples. Large numbers of the beetles were released in several states including Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, California, Washington, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Maryland. No such releases were ever attempted in Kentucky, and their occurrence here is probably due to northward migration from other southern states. Some scientists believe that current infestations in the U.S. originated not from these intentional releases, but from beetles accidentally transported into New Orleans on a freighter from Japan.

[Dimentio]

Was years since I saw one. They are very popular here, because they are eating greenflies. I have never heard of Lady Beetles crawling in-doors during winter. Here they are polite and usually stay out.

But have had problem with shrew-mice when I was little and lived in my parents house. But they were so cute that I almost liked having them in-doors running around. They were quite clean as well.

http://www.wordinfo.info/words/images/shrew-elephant.gif

[ls]

:S!

[Jazzratt]

Was years since I saw one. They are very popular here, because they are eating greenflies. I have never heard of Lady Beetles crawling in-doors during winter. Here they are polite and usually stay out.

But have had problem with shrew-mice when I was little and lived in my parents house. But they were so cute that I almost liked having them in-doors running around. They were quite clean as well.

http://www.wordinfo.info/words/images/shrew-elephant.gif

Those things look quite cute and first but the more I look, the more the words "eldritch horror beyond the sanity of humankind" burn into my brain.

[Dimentio]

Had one in 1992. I panicked and asked my mom to kill it. But when I saw it, I wanted to keep it as a pet. It visited our house several times, looking for food. But it lived below it, probably having a nest their with little mice.

They are not large either. They are much, much smaller than on the picture. I would say their size is about the size of my thumb.

[revolution inaction]

they look fine until you see hte legs

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

i quite enjoy the title of this thread

[JazzRemington]

I killed one of those lady bugs that wormed its way into my apartment. It landed on my window curtain, and when I killed it it left a bright red/orange stain for a few days. I never knew those things could bleed.

[Manifesto]

Those things used to be a big problem here a few years ago but now I have only seen this one in a while.

[Invincible Summer]

I see ladybugs all the time here. No biggie

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

their exoskeletons are quite revolutionary in color, amirite?

[Sean]

their exoskeletons are quite revolutionary in color, amirite?
Actually, the asian lady beetles come in many colours and have different numbers of spots on their shells. These ones bite, actually. If they werent so darn purty I'd be freaking out now, because last week it was seriously like a scene from The Birds. The front of the house was covered in the little gits. I still shrink away from them because I'm a coward in so many, many ways.
http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/diaglab/hilites/asian321.jpg
Not an actual photo of here, but thats damn close. But hey, we need insanely large amounts of crops, right?

[#FF0000]

That is pretty much my house.

"Hey Loveschach I noticed we didn't have any ladybugs yet this year"

"Yeah it's weird"

*looks up. Ceiling is impossible to see under layer of ladybugs*

[bcbm]

haven't seen as many this year, thankfully.

[Dimentio]

I think ladybugs are cute. When I was little, me and the other kids in the village were explicitly told not to kill ladybugs. That would mean bad luck.

[Il Medico]

Ladybugs are cute indeed. I used to play with them when I was a kid. They are the only bug I like, don't kill them! Oh, and you know what bugs are annoying as hell? Love bugs.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/116/251366108_fdca610441.jpg

[Sasha]

lady bugs are anything but cute, they are among the few animals that keep on killing even if they are not hungry anymore (wich is what makes them such effective pest controll btw), they are downright killing machines.
and check out this litlle gem:
Mechanical stimulation (such as by predator attack) causes "reflex bleeding" in both larval and adult ladybird beetles, in which an alkaloid toxin is exuded through the joints of the exoskeleton, deterring feeding. Ladybugs, as well as other Coccinellids are known to spray a toxin that is venomous to certain mammals and other insects when threatened. :blink:

[Patchd]

Ladybirds are awesome, although they sometimes piss on your finger :p

[Bright Banana Beard]

Man, ladybug are the only cool insect and I hate the rest. I despise the cockroach more than anything, I am just too coward to kill those 2 big American Cockroach. Good thing I haven't see German cockroach, which can lead to massive reproduction.

[Dimentio]

I like wasps, ants, ladybugs and krinkjoxen.

Two krinkjoxen having fun:
http://www2.ekol.slu.se/snytbagge/image/svarmning1.jpg

[Pirate Utopian]

I think all insects suck and I kill them on sight.

[Dr Mindbender]

I like wasps
Uh?

Wasps are aggressive little bastards, richly deserving of a rolled up newspaper. Their only redeeming feature is they eat flies, but spiders are probably more efficient fly hunters without the aggressive tendencies. Moreover wasps in their numbers can kill you. One of my fears is being trapped in a building with a startled wasp's net.

I don't like greenflies, but ladybirds eat greenflies. Greenflies destroy crops however, so ladybirds do us a good service.

therefore ladybirds = good.



I think all insects suck and I kill them on sight.
Way to imbalance the food pyramid there.

[Sean]

I don't like greenflies, but ladybirds eat greenflies. Greenflies destroy crops however, so ladybirds do us a good service.

therefore ladybirds = good.
These arent ladybirds, they're asian lady beetles. The difference is that these swarm into houses and bite. They don't all look like ladybirds, they come in many designs.

[Dr Mindbender]

These arent ladybirds, they're asian lady beetles. The difference is that these swarm into houses and bite. They don't all look like ladybirds, they come in many designs.

Im 99% sure that bug on the cup in the OP post is a ladybird.

[Sean]

I took that photo myself mate. They're obviously some relation to ladybirds but they're an asshole version from asia.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hse-fact/1030.html

[Sasha]

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/3914/ladybeetle.png

Anyone else have problems with these little shits?


I took that photo myself mate.

you mix your rum with cheap diet coke? you deserve a whole lot more bugs in your drink you freak

[Sean]

Techincally neither were originally mine. I expropriated them from a friend when beer stocks were depleted good sir.

[Sasha]

than my dear friend your honour and good name is safed.....

[Искра]

Only good bug is a dead one.
When I was once in hospital for surgery I woke up and my bed was full of cockroaches. I started to scream... Nurse came and then she started to scream.... and we were screaming until some strange kid came and took all cockroaches and put them in his jar...

[Dr Mindbender]

i wouldve drank the rum either way.

[Sean]

I did, of course.

[Le Libérer]

When a lady bug lands on you, that means you will fall in love. Better watch out for those. Those little fucks are dangerous.

[Jazzratt]

When a lady bug lands on you, that means you will fall in love. Better watch out for those. Those little fucks are dangerous.

Life could get very complicated if all of these fuckers landed on you:

http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/diaglab/hilites/asian321.jpg

[Dimentio]

Some years ago in my parents house, dad made a peace deal with the wasps living in the roof. He was raising a new porch when suddenly a dozen wasps encircled him, hovering a few centimetres from his head. In their mandibles, they carried flowers. My mother, who is an animal-friend, persuaded him to saw a hole in the uppermost plank of the porch so the wasps could fly in and out of their nest.

After that day, strangely, no wasp has ever stinged anyone living in that house.