My air conditioning went out this weekend on the hottest day of the
year so far. When the Tech checked out the problem, he found that one
of those damned lady bugs (that are not really lady bugs) that infest
this area every fall got into one of the contacts and shorted it out.
I guess they don't conduct electricity very well.

Cost me $77 for the service call but still cheaper and quicker to get
it running than I figured it would be.

David

On Jul 6, 2:26*pm, hibb wrote:
My air conditioning went out this weekend on the hottest day of the
year so far. When the Tech checked out the problem, he found that one
of those damned lady bugs (that are not really lady bugs) that infest
this area every fall got into one of the contacts and shorted it out.
I guess they don't conduct electricity very well.

Cost me $77 for the service call but still cheaper and quicker to get
it running than I figured it would be.

Tell me more about these not-quite-a-ladybug-bugs. A friend is
innundated with lady bugs. I'd never seen so many in one place. Are
these some sort of newly-introduced to the US bugs?

R

On Jul 6, 1:26*pm, hibb wrote:
My air conditioning went out this weekend on the hottest day of the
year so far. When the Tech checked out the problem, he found that one
of those damned lady bugs (that are not really lady bugs) that infest
this area every fall got into one of the contacts and shorted it out.
I guess they don't conduct electricity very well.

Cost me $77 for the service call but still cheaper and quicker to get
it running than I figured it would be.

David

Another asian import that has no natural North American enemies. In
the Midwest the beetles also like to bite. Not nearly as hard on crops
as Japanese beetles nor as destructive as the emerald ash beetle.

Joe

On Jul 6, 6:15*pm, RicodJour wrote:
On Jul 6, 2:26*pm, hibb wrote:

My air conditioning went out this weekend on the hottest day of the
year so far. When the Tech checked out the problem, he found that one
of those damned lady bugs (that are not really lady bugs) that infest
this area every fall got into one of the contacts and shorted it out.
I guess they don't conduct electricity very well.

Cost me $77 for the service call but still cheaper and quicker to get
it running than I figured it would be.

Tell me more about these not-quite-a-ladybug-bugs. *A friend is
innundated with lady bugs. *I'd never seen so many in one place. *Are
these some sort of newly-introduced to the US bugs?

R

I heard they were imported into Canada to eat other bugs on soybean
plants or some such thing. I am in lower Michigan and I went out to
the corn field out back of my property last year and got caught in a
swarm of them things so bad I could hardly breath without sucking a
bunch up my nose. We've been getting them bad every fall for the last
10 years.

The ones we have here bite and if you smash one them it stinks. My
wife says since they are not lady bugs and the bite and stink, then
they must be slut-bugs.

RicodJour wrote:
On Jul 6, 2:26 pm, hibb wrote:
My air conditioning went out this weekend on the hottest day of the
year so far. When the Tech checked out the problem, he found that one
of those damned lady bugs (that are not really lady bugs) that infest
this area every fall got into one of the contacts and shorted it out.
I guess they don't conduct electricity very well.

Cost me $77 for the service call but still cheaper and quicker to get
it running than I figured it would be.

Tell me more about these not-quite-a-ladybug-bugs. A friend is
innundated with lady bugs. I'd never seen so many in one place. Are
these some sort of newly-introduced to the US bugs?

R

The US imports Asian *lady bugs* every year. Evidently they kill a lot
of other problem bugs. But the longer we do this the fewer natural
enemies we have to control the original problem. So if we stop
importing the little *******s, the original problem will be worse than
ever. For years my daughter told me ladybugs bite, and for years I said
she was imagining it. Poor kid, I eventually caught on and started
killing the little *******s. If you catch them at the right time in
spring and fall when they gather together, you can either poison them or
suck them up with a shop vac. And yes they stink if you just touch
them. When I use the shop vac to get them, I first put a few inches of
water in the vac, it helps to contain the odor. Just be sure to empty
it... far from the house.

hibb wrote:
On Jul 6, 6:15 pm, RicodJour wrote:
On Jul 6, 2:26 pm, hibb wrote:

My air conditioning went out this weekend on the hottest day of the
year so far. When the Tech checked out the problem, he found that one
of those damned lady bugs (that are not really lady bugs) that infest
this area every fall got into one of the contacts and shorted it out.
I guess they don't conduct electricity very well.
Cost me $77 for the service call but still cheaper and quicker to get
it running than I figured it would be.
Tell me more about these not-quite-a-ladybug-bugs. A friend is
innundated with lady bugs. I'd never seen so many in one place. Are
these some sort of newly-introduced to the US bugs?

R

I heard they were imported into Canada to eat other bugs on soybean
plants or some such thing. I am in lower Michigan and I went out to
the corn field out back of my property last year and got caught in a
swarm of them things so bad I could hardly breath without sucking a
bunch up my nose. We've been getting them bad every fall for the last
10 years.

The ones we have here bite and if you smash one them it stinks. My
wife says since they are not lady bugs and the bite and stink, then
they must be slut-bugs.



If I recall correctly, they were imported into the eastern US to control
aphids since the local ladybug population was in decline. I believe they
are Asian ladybugs. They have adapted well to North America and spread
like wildfire. It's not unusual to have the whole side of the house
covered with them on a sunny October day. They also crawl into every
nook and cranny they can find to over-winter.

Just another case of scientist doing something to alleviate one problem
and causing another. When will they ever learn!

On Jul 7, 1:47*am, Gil wrote:
hibb wrote:
On Jul 6, 6:15 pm, RicodJour wrote:
On Jul 6, 2:26 pm, hibb wrote:

My air conditioning went out this weekend on the hottest day of the
year so far. When the Tech checked out the problem, he found that one
of those damned lady bugs (that are not really lady bugs) that infest
this area every fall got into one of the contacts and shorted it out.
I guess they don't conduct electricity very well.
Cost me $77 for the service call but still cheaper and quicker to get
it running than I figured it would be.
Tell me more about these not-quite-a-ladybug-bugs. *A friend is
innundated with lady bugs. *I'd never seen so many in one place. *Are
these some sort of newly-introduced to the US bugs?

R

I heard they were imported into Canada to eat other bugs on soybean
plants or some such thing. I am in lower Michigan and I went out to
the corn field out back of my property last year and got caught in a
swarm of them things so bad I could hardly breath without sucking a
bunch up my nose. We've been getting them bad every fall for the last
10 years.

The ones we have here bite and if you smash one them it stinks. My
wife says since they are not lady bugs and the bite and stink, then
they must be slut-bugs.

If I recall correctly, they were imported into the eastern US to control
aphids since the local ladybug population was in decline. I believe they
are Asian ladybugs. They have adapted well to North America and spread
like wildfire. It's not unusual to have the whole side of the house
covered with them on a sunny October day. They also crawl into every
nook and cranny they can find to over-winter.

Just another case of scientist doing something to alleviate one problem
and causing another. When will they ever learn!

Seems like people would have learned the lessons from Kudzu and
Starlings.

"hibb" wrote in message
...
On Jul 7, 1:47 am, Gil wrote:
hibb wrote:
On Jul 6, 6:15 pm, RicodJour wrote:
On Jul 6, 2:26 pm, hibb wrote:

My air conditioning went out this weekend on the hottest day of the
year so far. When the Tech checked out the problem, he found that one
of those damned lady bugs (that are not really lady bugs) that infest
this area every fall got into one of the contacts and shorted it out.
I guess they don't conduct electricity very well.
Cost me $77 for the service call but still cheaper and quicker to get
it running than I figured it would be.
Tell me more about these not-quite-a-ladybug-bugs. A friend is
innundated with lady bugs. I'd never seen so many in one place. Are
these some sort of newly-introduced to the US bugs?

R

I heard they were imported into Canada to eat other bugs on soybean
plants or some such thing. I am in lower Michigan and I went out to
the corn field out back of my property last year and got caught in a
swarm of them things so bad I could hardly breath without sucking a
bunch up my nose. We've been getting them bad every fall for the last
10 years.

The ones we have here bite and if you smash one them it stinks. My
wife says since they are not lady bugs and the bite and stink, then
they must be slut-bugs.

If I recall correctly, they were imported into the eastern US to control
aphids since the local ladybug population was in decline. I believe they
are Asian ladybugs. They have adapted well to North America and spread
like wildfire. It's not unusual to have the whole side of the house
covered with them on a sunny October day. They also crawl into every
nook and cranny they can find to over-winter.

Just another case of scientist doing something to alleviate one problem
and causing another. When will they ever learn!

Seems like people would have learned the lessons from Kudzu and
Starlings.


I believe what you are referring to are Asian Lady Beetles:

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/br/lbeetle/

Joe J wrote:

"hibb" wrote in message
...
On Jul 7, 1:47 am, Gil wrote:
hibb wrote:
On Jul 6, 6:15 pm, RicodJour wrote:
On Jul 6, 2:26 pm, hibb wrote:

My air conditioning went out this weekend on the hottest day of the
year so far. When the Tech checked out the problem, he found that
one
of those damned lady bugs (that are not really lady bugs) that
infest
this area every fall got into one of the contacts and shorted it
out.
I guess they don't conduct electricity very well.
Cost me $77 for the service call but still cheaper and quicker to
get
it running than I figured it would be.
Tell me more about these not-quite-a-ladybug-bugs. A friend is
innundated with lady bugs. I'd never seen so many in one place. Are
these some sort of newly-introduced to the US bugs?

R

I heard they were imported into Canada to eat other bugs on soybean
plants or some such thing. I am in lower Michigan and I went out to
the corn field out back of my property last year and got caught in a
swarm of them things so bad I could hardly breath without sucking a
bunch up my nose. We've been getting them bad every fall for the last
10 years.

The ones we have here bite and if you smash one them it stinks. My
wife says since they are not lady bugs and the bite and stink, then
they must be slut-bugs.

If I recall correctly, they were imported into the eastern US to control
aphids since the local ladybug population was in decline. I believe they
are Asian ladybugs. They have adapted well to North America and spread
like wildfire. It's not unusual to have the whole side of the house
covered with them on a sunny October day. They also crawl into every
nook and cranny they can find to over-winter.

Just another case of scientist doing something to alleviate one problem
and causing another. When will they ever learn!

Seems like people would have learned the lessons from Kudzu and
Starlings.


I believe what you are referring to are Asian Lady Beetles:

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/br/lbeetle/




Yup! That's them. Thanks for the link - interesting reading.