• Dharma Curious (he/him)@slrpnk.net
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    11 hours ago

    Nah, no lady bugs or whatever the Japanese beetle that has replaced them in the US is called in my home.

    Lived in TN for since 09, and when those things find a way in it’s awful. They have crawled into my ears while sleeping (they bite, did you know? I didn’t. Ow.), they have eaten through window screens, chewed a hole in the drywall, and done general havoc. There was a mostly unused room where I found about 1000 or more of then hanging in a corner. The mass was so large I genuinely thought it was some kind of hornets nest or something.

    • jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.works
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      2 hours ago

      Harmonia axyridis AKA “Asian Beetle”. Native to Southeast Asia. Artificially introduced to the US for aphid population control, which they allegedly do very well.

      And that is their single redeeming quality. Other than that, they are an incredibly annoying pest. I remember being a kid, when they really started to take off in the Midwest, and having to vacuum up thousands of them out of, well, everywhere. I quickly learned that if you used a vacuum cleaner where the dirt gets drawn through the impeller, they would die instantly and that would lessen the awful smell.

      We had this antique Hamilton Beach hand vacuum with a large bag on it that was perfect for the job. The distinctive “ping” sound of those little bastards getting obliterated by the cast aluminum death machine was sweet revenge.