[Slowmodem]

I thought I'd do a quick check of my hive this afternoon since it was ~60F. I wanted to see if they had found the sugar I had placed on the newspaper (they haven't). What I did find was some ladybugs that had taken up residence inside the telescoping top and the inner cover. They weren't inside the hive. Did they just find a warm place to winter over? Should I be concerned? The bees don't seem to be doing anything about them (they're still down in the lower deep).

 

[G3farms]

Serve an eviction notice on them, they will find other places to over winter.

 

[gunsmith]

Those look like Asian lady beetles. We get an infestation of them up here every 5 or 6 years. They don't do much damage, but get in everywhere-and I mean everywhere. We kill 8 to 10 of them every day in the house. I haven't looked in my hives for them. Been too cold.

 

[Zulu]

They are beneficial bugs, Are sold to gardners every year to keep aphids at bay.

Fewer aphids mean better blooms and thus more pollen and nectar.

So I would welcome them.

As to answer the question, yes they were looking for a sheltered winter spot.

 

[gunsmith]

:goodpost:
You are right Zulu. The ones I see outside, I leave alone.
The ones that sneak into the house, however, are a different matter :lol:

 

[tecumseh]

the picture of the lady bugs looks quite varied when it come to color. are they all the same species?

 

[Slowmodem]

the picture of the lady bugs looks quite varied when it come to color. are they all the same species?

I think they are Asian Ladybugs. From what I read, they do come in a variety of colors.

 

[tecumseh]

thanks Greg...

 

[PerryBee]

I find them as well up here. Not thinking they could harm anything I have tended to leave them alone. Hey, we all look for a place to keep warm this time of year up here in the "tundra". :mrgreen:

 

[Zookeep]

Down here we tend not to kill anything that eats other bugs, being that we have so many (unless they kill the girls then I use a big hammer), I would just leave them be they pose no threat to the hive at all

 

[letitbee]

I wish they would kill SHBs, then we'd be on to something!

 

[barry42001]

bear in mind that some species ( don't know which )are vegatarians and as destructive as the other insects your looking to get rid of.