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Quick answer: The multicolored Asian lady beetle looks like a ladybug but gathers on sunny walls in fall and moves indoors to overwinter, sometimes in large numbers. They can give a mild nip, emit a staining yellow fluid when disturbed, and are a clustering nuisance. Control is exclusion before fall plus vacuuming the ones that get inside — not crushing them.
What do Asian lady beetles look like?
The multicolored Asian lady beetle resembles a ladybug — rounded and orange to red with variable spots — but usually shows a tell-tale black M or W-shaped mark on the pale area just behind the head. Native ladybugs lack this mark and do not invade homes in large numbers.
Signs of an invasion
The sign is clusters of lady beetles on warm, sunny walls in fall, then beetles indoors around windows, ceilings, and light fixtures, becoming active again on warm winter and spring days.
Why they get indoors
Asian lady beetles are beneficial aphid predators outdoors, but in fall they seek shelter to overwinter, slipping into wall voids and attics through gaps around windows, siding, and eaves. They do not reproduce indoors or damage the structure.
How to keep Asian lady beetles out
Control is exclusion before fall: seal cracks and gaps around windows, doors, siding, soffits, and utility lines, repair or add screens, and install door sweeps. Where pressure is heavy, a fall exterior treatment reduces clustering. For beetles inside, vacuum them up rather than crushing them, since they release a staining, foul-smelling yellow fluid when disturbed; empty or seal the vacuum contents.
When to call a professional
For homes with heavy fall invasions, a professional can identify entry points, perform exclusion, and time an exterior treatment to the seasonal gathering for the best results.
A Brooklyn-based, NYSDEC-registered company (Reg. #15140) led by Jorge Bedoya, an Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE). For pests in your home or building, NYE provides IPM-based, low-exposure control matched to the exact pest and verified with a follow-up. ACE-led work comes with a client portal of service reports and photos, fully bilingual service, and no long-term contract.
Asian Lady Beetle FAQ
How do I tell an Asian lady beetle from a ladybug?
Asian lady beetles vary from orange to red with variable spots and usually show a black M or W-shaped mark on the whitish area behind the head. Native ladybugs lack that mark and do not invade homes in large fall clusters.
Why do Asian lady beetles come indoors?
In fall they seek sheltered places to overwinter, gathering first on warm, sunny walls, then entering through gaps around windows, siding, and eaves to hide in wall voids and attics.
How do you get rid of Asian lady beetles?
Vacuum them up (do not crush them, as they release a staining, foul-smelling yellow fluid) and seal exterior gaps before fall. Exclusion done ahead of the season is the durable solution.
Are Asian lady beetles harmful?
They can deliver a mild nip and their defensive fluid can stain surfaces and trigger allergies in some people, but they do not breed indoors or damage the home. Outdoors they are beneficial aphid predators.
How do I keep them out?
Seal cracks and gaps around windows, doors, siding, soffits, and utility lines, repair screens, and install door sweeps; a fall exterior treatment helps where pressure is high.
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