Get A Handle On Asian Lady Beetles With This Simple DIY Trap
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While bugs generally gross people out, some insects like butterflies and ladybugs benefit from pretty privilege. In some households, the presence of a ladybug is even considered to be a sign of good luck, but in others, the bugs are seen as just that — bugs. Asian lady beetles would be one of the types of bugs you wouldn't want living in your home, primarily because of their terrible smell. However, if you find your house at the mercy of these pests, you can create a DIY trap for them by using light to trick them into falling into a plastic bottle.
Asian lady beetles love the light. They are attracted to the warmth that sunlight and artificial light sources bring, and you can often find them in hordes near these lit-up spaces. You can use this to your advantage by constructing a DIY light trap to get rid of these bugs naturally.
The most irritating thing about these beetles is the foul secretion they release. They have joints in their legs which produce this fluid to deter predators when they feel like they're in danger. Crushing the beetles will send shockwaves of this putrid yellow substance, which has the ability to wreck your furniture with stains. To ditch these pests, you can lure them into your light trap and dispose of them outside where it's safe.
Trap the bugs and release them outside
Although they might have similar features, Asian lady beetles and ladybugs aren't the same insect. The beetles are oval and come in colors ranging from red to orange to light brown. Asian lady beetles love to eat insects such as aphids, which are common garden pests. However, when the cold season rolls in, these insects find shelter in your warm home.
In addition to the plastic water bottle, you'll need a light source (like these battery-powered mini-LED lights from Amazon) and a blade. To start off, cut the water bottle in half. Then, turn the top half upside down and fit it right into the bottom half. Turn the mini-LED light on, drop it into your contraption, and make sure it doesn't fully block the pathway from the top part of the bottle into the bottom part. The light should draw the insects into the trap. The top half will be used as a funnel, the channel where the lady beetles would fall perilously into the bottom half. Once you capture enough prisoners, you can decide what to do with them outside.
Make sure the LED light you get is small enough to fit into the plastic bottle that you use. Plastic bottles come in all shapes and sizes, so the measurements have to tally up. You don't want the light falling into the bottom half of your device or completely blocking the entrance into it.