Our news director Beth came in the studio, scratching her arm and asked if Asian beetles bite. The answer is yes, they can bite hard enough to break human skin, but the bite and discomfort should be minor, unless you have an allergic reaction, which believe it or not can lead to pink eye. I wonder if I should tell her. . .?

That made me wonder; exactly what is the difference between cute little ladybugs and those nasty Asian beetles? Apparently it's their size:

Asian ladybugs are larger in size. Ladybugs have a head that is all black with little white cheeks. Their Asian counterparts have more white on their “cheeks” and are more of a deep orange color rather than a red." - -PestWiki

How did they get here? They were first brought into the U.S. by the California Department of Agriculture in 1916 to control pecan aphids. They have been used numerous times and throughout the years since then, for many other biological aphid and insect control programs. Unfortunately they got out of control very quickly and have now become a problem in many parts of the country.

Can you get rid of them? Well you can try to keep them out of your home and buildings, by sealing cracks around doors, windows, cable & phone wires. You can replace screens and install door sweeps for exterior doors and a rubber threshold seal for your garage. There are pesticides which can be also be used, particularly in the fall to backup your other efforts.

If you really need more information on these creepy, crawly, critters, I read multiple sources (see them below) and now know more about them than I ever wanted to.


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