What’s With All the Orange “Ladybugs” in East Texas Right Now?

(KNUE-FM) It seems there are a million freshly hatched bugs all over East Texas lately. No, not literally. Curious: Have you seen them? Those are not ladybugs.

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We've seen people posting lately about the ladybug 'look-alikes' flying about their homes near Tyler, Texas. There was even a recent post from 5W Pest Control and Home Services explaining what these are on a popular Tyler-area social media group page, All Things Tyler (FREE).

What East Texans Are Really Seeing Right Now

This happens about this time every year in East Texas, though I tend to see more of them in early December. Contrary to how they may appear, those are not ladybugs in East Texas--they are Asian Lady Beetles. OK, big deal, right? They're still pretty much the same, right? Well, there are similarities between the ladybug and the Asian Lady Beetle. But they are not the same.

How Asian Lady Beetles Differ From the Ladybugs You Remember

I first noticed them several years ago. They must like big windows because about 18 million seemed to invade my sunroom overnight. They were EVERYWHERE. Despite their 'cute' appearance, if one considers any bug 'cute,' there are some key differences between ladybugs and Asian Lady Beetles. Sure, they both have those round bodies with little 'polka-dots' all over, and they are close to the same size. But here's what you need to know.

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OK, OK, we need to do a little backtracking here. Technically, Asian Lady Beetles ARE a TYPE of ladybug--just not the ones you probably think of when you think of ladybugs, of which there are about 5,000 different types. But if you look at a typical ladybug next to an Asian Lady Beetle, you'll notice the ladybug is red with those signature black spots. The Asian beetles range in color, but the ones I've seen are more orange. Some have spots, but not all of them.

How Asian Lady Beetles Ended Up in Texas

The Asian Lady Beetles are not native to North America. So, how did they end up in Texas? The Asian Lady Beetles were released into the North American ecosystem to prey upon some of the more unwanted garden pests. And...let's just say they've been THRIVING ever since.

Do They Bite Humans Or Pets?

According to some reports from reasonably reputable sources, such as WebMD, you may want to exercise caution. Sure, they seem to crawl and flit about like regular ladybugs, but Asian Lady Beetles DO have little pinchers, and they have been known to bite if they feel threatened. However, the bites aren't considered serious to humans.

KETK shared this news report last year, around this time, to give you a better look:

Are Asian Lady Beetles dangerous to our pets in Texas? We've even heard from some East Texans who've advised us to watch our pets around them. In some severe cases, they'd noticed many of them had gotten into their pet's mouth and were nesting around their gum area. OMG. *runs away screaming in horror.*

How to Keep Them Out of Your Home

If you are interested in avoiding them, prevention is the best way to handle the issue, if possible. Keep in mind, they are attracted to warmth. The best way to prevent them from entering your home is to be mindful when opening doors or windows and ensure that all potential cracks in walls and pipes are sealed.