Lady bugs - Montana Owners Club

Wordsmith · 03-26-2005, 03:14 PM

Okay, Houston, we have a bug problem here. When we bought our used 3295RK it came with a rather large family of lady bugs, made very clear over the last few days with the warm weather. Do any of you think there would be a problem with fogging the camper to rid it of these pests?

D and M On The Road · 03-26-2005, 03:23 PM

Check these sites out:

http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/lady_bugs.htm

http://www.lady-beetles.com/ladybug_infestation.htm

http://www.bugsaway.com/boxelderbug.htm

They all recommend vacuuming up the little pests but also show sprays you can buy for inside use.

Wordsmith · 03-26-2005, 03:42 PM

Thanks, Doug and Margee. I have indeed been vacuuming up the little pests, but they just keep coming. I think it is time to look into some of the pesticides mentioned in the articles because I believe they were holed up in the area above the rear vent of our unit and have started moving now that warm weather is here.

Glass Guy · 03-27-2005, 03:05 AM

We had the same problem in the fall of 2004 after a farmer next to the campground we wre in cut his soy beans and they got into the Monty I'm thinking threw the vents that keystone put in the roof. We had them when we opened up the Monty in the spring as the spring went by they all died off and have not had a problem since the spring of 2004, hopefully that will be the last we see of any them. Roman

trukdoc · 03-27-2005, 03:12 AM

I think It was a bonus buy from Keystone. Pratically as soon as we got "Rosie" home the little girls showed up. I have used a Dirt Devil to get them and I release them in the garden.

Karl · 03-27-2005, 03:45 AM

Keep doing what you are. We in the Midwest are used to them now. They are the Asian Beetle, introduced some years ago to "take care" of aphids, but since they had no natural enemy, they too have become pests, and each fall we have an infestation, then they find "warm" places to winter. They do bite, and since they stink when crushed, vacuuming is my preferred method. In the warm weather they will awaken. They will "soon" leave your unit to find food, and by summer there will be only a few left. Unless you come up our way during the fall, you will probably not have them again.

Each year, when we winter in Arizona, we find that hundreds of these hitch hikers have taken the ride with us and awaken when we get here.

Wordsmith · 03-27-2005, 06:45 AM

Misery does indeed love company!

At least I have hope that they will eventually move on. I am certainly vacuuming up a small herd of them, because Karl is correct—they flat stink when you crush them!

stiles watson · 03-27-2005, 09:04 AM

Wordsmith,

Just be glad that they are ladybugs and not roaches. Ladybugs will leave, roaches won't. They must be driven out. I have never heard of ladybugs biting -- a new one for me.

CountryGuy · 03-27-2005, 12:40 PM

Stiles,

These "Ladybugs" ain't no ladies! They ain't even the real thing. They are orange, not red (which I believe is the color of the real thing), and yes the have little pinchers and will grab on, errr, bite. We live in a soy bean growing county, ick, after harvest, they COVER the house, the pole barn, Montana, cars, ickkkkk. I call them "ladybug wannabees" and that is on a nice day!

They look so much like a lady bug, that when we first moved to Tipton, I thought they were the real thing. Silly me!

Carol

stiles watson · 03-27-2005, 04:46 PM

Ok, so they aren't the things I know as ladybugs in Texas, huh. Maybe that's why I am confused about what is being said here. Well, I will just "bug out" of this topic and nurse my ignorance.

jpkelpe · 03-28-2005, 03:44 AM

When we went to our 5er a few weekends ago it was 70 degrees and those "awful bugs" were starting to wake up and I got them out of their hiding places. The winter before we had some really cold weather and they all died, not this winter. I read that they live in areas in China that have white cliffs and they go to buildings here that are white, and or course guess what??. When we got our new trailer we found a lot of them when we transfered our "stuff"-- I don't imagine Abilene, KS apprecitated us, but now they probably have those little "ladies" They like alfalfa and soy beans so maybe in wheat country they won't survive. I am told there is a spray that is not an insecticide that will keep them away but I haven't found it yet. Guess I need to go to a farm supply store. In the mean time will just have to put up with the hitch hikers. Stiles, you are correct they are not those pretty red lady bugs you have in Texas--we have them too and they are no problem. these Asiam ones look like anemic ladybugs--ugly orange color--stink sort of like a box elder bug if you are familiar with them.

campbud · 03-28-2005, 04:14 AM

I can remember 2 falls ago when we were camping. We came back from a hike and our camper was like a giant ladybug! The outside was just covered, I have never seen anything like it. We must of been by one heck of a nest of them. When we got home we vaccumed for weeks. Vaccuming is our method for them too! Never smash them b/c they stain.

sreigle · 04-08-2005, 03:02 PM

We had an infestation of ladybugs earlier this year and fought them for several weeks. As time went on we had fewer and fewer and now we've had none in the past month or so. Keep at 'em, eventually you'll get them all.

Wordsmith · 04-09-2005, 06:21 AM

Most of them were in the vent just in front of the 3295RK’s galley, so I kept that off the entire time we were camping and vacuumed and vacuumed and then vacuumed some more. I am happy to report that over the last couple of days, I only found two or three of the little pests, but I am loathe to replace the inside vent cover until I go a couple of weeks bug less.

Montana_738 · 04-09-2005, 11:33 AM

Hello Everyone,
Just want to advise you for the people that are using a Vacummn to pick them up to use a old vacummn. We ruined a vacummn by doing the same and it was only a year old. They also give off an oil that will get into the motor and cause problems. Since then we picked up a used one (vacummn at a garage sale that we ony use for the pests. We also put a plastic bag over the end when we are through vacumming with a rubber band to hold it on, or they will crawl back out.
In Illinois if your in the country you have thse beetles plus box elder bugs. At least the box elder bugs don't smell as bad.

Bill

Wordsmith · 04-09-2005, 12:39 PM

Accuprep, that is a good idea. I have been using a new vacuum cleaner but it has the easy change container, so I vacuum and toss the little buggers out the door. Hopefully, that will not cause any problems.

sreigle · 04-09-2005, 03:24 PM

We thought we were rid of them, then a couple of weeks later we had more. I think they nested and the second go-round was the result of the nesting. In between we occasionally saw baby ones.

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