If a lady bug lands on you, it’s supposed to bring good luck. Step on one of the small red-shelled insects with the distinctive black polka dots and get ready for rain. Considered a beneficial insect because of its voracious appetite for crop-harming insects, native lady bugs are the stuff of folk legends — which is the only place you’re likely to find them in New York and New Jersey. Invasive Asian lady bird beetles have effectively overrun habitats once populated by native lady bugs, forcing out the native species.

Like lady bugs, Asian lady beetles are small with hard spotted shells; but they come in a rainbow of red, yellow and orange colors and their spots are more likely to be irregular and sometimes non-existent. In the fall, these insect pests can become a nuisance as they congregate in the thousands on light-colored walls, seeking a way into buildings to spend the cold winter months hiding until spring.

Asian lady beetle invasions can coat walls, decks, trees and plants with piles of insects. Their waste can stain walls and fabrics. To understand the extent of the problem, click here to see CNN film of a lady bug invasion.

The best way to keep these pests out of your commercial building is to have the building exterior treated by a licensed commercial pest control service before beetles start to congregate.