| How to get rid of ladybugs
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Introduction
Ladybugs are usually considered a beneficial insect. They are not often a bug that will cause any harm. However, in some places ladybugs can become so numerous that they become a nuisance. Large numbers gathering all over the house is not fun, especially when they start falling everywhere - into food, your hair and on your bed. You just want to get rid of the ladybugs.
Misconceptions about how to get rid of ladybugs
You may have heard that the best way to keep ladybugs out of your home is to caulk or tape any crevices where they might get in. Even major home and garden Web sites suggest this. Experience, however, shows that trying to plug any potential entry points doesn\'t seem to work. That\'s because these bugs are able to flatten themselves out and crawl through crevices you might not even see. Another misguided bit of wisdom says that, because ladybugs are attracted to light colors, covering up any light colors on the outside of your home will keep the ladybugs at bay. Here again, it seems like that would just be a waste of effort. People with dark colored homes also report ladybug infestations.
The final solution
Burn lemon scented candles
Like mosquitos and gnats, ladybugs seem to dislike the smell of lemon. Burn three or four lemon candles in each room where you have a ladybug problem and it should at least cut down on the number of ladybugs coming in. Unfortunately, it doesn\'t always get rid of ladybugs that are already in the house.
Clean with Ammonia
And like most people, ladybugs don\'t care much for the smell of ammonia, either. Use a rag soaked in amonia to wipe down your doors, windows, and any other surface where you see ladybugs gathering.
Sprays
Herbicides can also be used to get rid of poison ivy. Roundup spray is a popular glyphosate-based herbicide used to get rid of poison ivy. Another widely-available herbicide is Ortho Brush-B-Gon, which is triclopyr-based. These products will kill a great variety of woody plants, making them effective not only in getting rid of poison ivy, but also another nuisance vine: oriental bittersweet. But they will kill many other plants, too, so don\'t use them near specimens you wish to keep. If you choose to apply these herbicides by spraying, here\'s what to do:
· You\'ll need a tank sprayer; mix the product with water, according to directions.
· Apply when the poison ivy is fully leafed out.
· Pick a day with little or no wind for spraying. Also, check your forecast: don\'t spray if rain is predicted at any time within the next 24 hours.
· For poison ivy plant growing on the ground or on a wall, heavily spray the leaves and vines. Older poison ivy has large hairy vines -- another dead giveaway for identifying them.
· For poison ivy climbing up a tree, you may wish to "paint" the herbicide on, so as to preclude damaging the tree with a stray mist from your sprayer.
How to get rid of ladybugs >
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