Indiana homes can look surprisingly different once autumn settles in. A wall that has been completely quiet all summer may suddenly become covered with small red, orange, and yellow beetles, especially around sunny windows, upper siding, and rooflines. From a distance, the scene can look like an enormous ladybug colony has suddenly decided to move onto the house.
What homeowners are often seeing are multicolored Asian lady beetles, a type of lady beetle that becomes particularly noticeable when the weather starts turning colder. Their behavior has less to do with finding food around the house and much more to do with finding protection from Indiana’s approaching winter. A warm exterior wall can become an important stopping point before the insects move into cracks and other sheltered spaces.
That is why the timing can feel so strange. The beetles may be almost impossible to notice during the middle of summer, then suddenly appear by the hundreds during a few bright autumn afternoons. Their numbers are often a reflection of seasonal movement rather than something suddenly changing inside the home.
Why Indiana Homes Become Attractive in the Fall
Indiana’s transition from summer into fall can be surprisingly uneven. September may still bring warm afternoons, while mornings become noticeably cooler, and by October the difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures can become much greater. Those changes are important to insects preparing for a period when outdoor activity will become difficult…