The month of October got off to a relatively mild start. In fact, the first five days this month were warmer-than-normal, and yesterday's average temperature of 60 degrees was three degrees above normal. The average monthly temperature through the first 10 days this month is 60.6 degrees, which is exactly two degrees above normal.
That got me wondering about a potential problem with unwelcome guests. About a week ago I started checking the windows and doors outside my home for signs of the Asian lady beetle. You may recall that three years ago, there was an infestation of these "stink bugs." Hundreds and even thousands of these harmless creatures were invading homes and businesses in October, 2009. However, the past two years I didn't see any.
Three years ago I wrote about the invasion of the lady beetle. The onset of warmer air in mid-October usually signals the return of the ladybugs, lured out of forests by the warm daytime sun and driven indoors with the evening chill. It happens every year just about this time, and it’s not that unusual, according to Eric Day, manager of the Insect Identification Lab at Virginia Tech. “You get these warm days (in) October, and they get active,” he said. “If you have a house that’s infested, you can literally find thousands and thousands inside.”
I decided to examine the windows more closely after I saw many of them in my hone in October of 2009. It didn’t take long to figure out how the ladybugs were getting between the screen and window. The insulation at the top of the screens was all but destroyed, and the little creatures were flying inside. I needed to take action by securing the window and door frames with strong tape. I did the same thing each of the past two years, just in case.
Day said the type of ladybug that causes the ruckus is known as the Asian lady beetle, an invasive species present in the Eastern United States for about 15 years. How the bugs got here is unclear, but the best guess, he opined, is that they hitched a ride on cargo ships or escaped from the United States Department of Agriculture experimental fields, a charge the agency denies.
As if the mere presence of tens of thousands of bugs in your living room isn’t enough, they emit a gut-churning musky odor that lingers after they die, and they die quickly in dry, indoor air. They also leave yellowish stains on everything, caused by a defense mechanism called “reflex bleeding.” The ladybugs aren’t particularly harmful, and in most cases, the bugs will just retreat or die without any treatment.
If the lady bugs haven't appeared by now, I think we're going to be okay. Much cooler air is expected by the start of this weekend. A Freeze Watch has been issued for Northern Fairfield and New Haven counties for late Friday night and early Ssaturday morning. However, milder temperatures will arrive Sunday into Monday after the passage of a warm front. Daytime temperatures should return to the mid 60s by the middle of next week.
Paul
