This is a result of the intentional
release of Asian Ladybugs in the United States to control a tree
parasite. It didn’t do anything for the trees, but it created a
Ladybug “plague” because the Asian ones “swarm” after
the first frost, then crawl all over everything, including in your house and
barn and inside every little nook and cranny where they die and smell. I
have never seen horses eat them, although they do annoy the horses in the pasture
when they swarm. Keep your feed/supplement and any other containers
closed, or they will be full of ladybugs. They will actually crawl inside
electrical outlet boxes and breaker boxes. There is not a lot you can do
and they are firmly established now, and moving northward up the East Coast.
They also bite, which the native Ladybug did not.
The best defense I have found is Permethrin…..the
most common ingredient in fly spray. You can buy it in 10% and 40%
concentrate. Jeffers Equine comes to mind. Mix a STRONG batch….barn
spray concentration…and spray the walls, windows and floors of your
barn. Leave your horses and other animals (especially cats) out until it
dries. I spray my barn and the outside of my house every year just before
first frost. They land on the sprayed areas, wiggle their little legs and
make haste to leave or just crawl around and die. The disadvantage is
that it leaves a cloudy film on everything, so you end up with “cloudy”
windows during the winter until you can wash them after they go wherever they
go in late spring. The only other defense I have found is a fly swatter,
which catches the strays that get by the Permethrin.
Good Luck…..you’ll need it! J
Jim, Sun of Dimanche+, and Mahada Magic
From:
ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Dixie Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2004
6:32 PM To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [RC] beetles
The beetles we commonly call lady bugs are all over
the place suddenly..if ingested, are these type dangerous to our horses...we're
in Kentucky.
Thanks
