Evil Ladybug Phenomenon: Why Alabama Is Seeing More Death Spiral Ladybugs

 

We had a different blog planned for this week, until we started seeing a certain insect trending among regular news outlets here in Alabama. Since we write blogs about bugs every single week, we couldn’t miss the opportunity. 

All the buzz is about “evil,” “invasive,” “death spiral,” … ladybugs. 

Yep, you read that correctly. Over the last two months, serious news outlets throughout the Yellowhammer State have been warning about “evil ladybugs.”

As integrative pest management experts, we often hear negative things about various bugs, including the cute and harmless ones, but “evil” isn’t a descriptor we hear very often. So, we may as well dive right in and take a look at what the fuss is all about!

Evil Ladybugs in the News

The trending articles we’re seeing are using fear-mongering language, with headlines all along the lines of “Death Spiral Ladybugs Invading Alabama This Winter,” with videos at the top of the articles showing hordes of orange, red, and yellow bugs swarming the Alabama winter sky, covering entire cars and sides of houses, and looking pretty nightmare-inducing. 

Not trying to hate on their clickbait, but if you ask us, these descriptions and depictions are over-dramatic. So we’re going to break down what is actually happening and why, in reality, it’s nothing to freak out about.

What Are Evil Ladybugs?

The evil ladybugs everyone’s buzzing about are the infamous Asian Lady Beetles, which we have written many articles about over the years here on our pest blog. 

• Why Are There So Many Ladybugs in My House?
• Why Some Ladybugs Don’t Have Spots: Differences Between Lady Bugs and Asian Lady Beetles
• Are Asian Beetles Just as Beneficial as Lady Bugs?
• Do Ladybugs Come in Different Colors? Here’s How to Spot the Differences in Ladybugs
• Learn to Tell the Difference Between Ladybugs and Asian Lady Beetles

 

You might ask, “Aren’t Asian Lady Beetles different from ladybugs?” or “Aren’t Asian Lady Beetles and ladybugs the same thing?” The answer to both questions can be yes, in our opinion, which might be confusing, so here’s what we mean:

• Generally, you can really use “ladybird,” “ladybug,” or “ladybeetle” as broad terms to describe any of the very similar-looking bugs from the same family of small, round beetles called coccinellids. 
• The different subspecies all have official names, which will either include “ladybird,” “ladybug,” or “ladybeetle,” depending on what the scientists who discovered them chose, rather than due to distinct features.
• Asian Lady Beetles are a specific type of coccinellid with somewhat unique features that make their species distinctive in this context. Still, you could call them a ladybug if you wanted to, without being wrong, as you could with any kind of coccinellid. So we’re not hung up on them being called ladybugs so much as them being called evil. 

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So, to recap, the official name of the “evil ladybugs” in the news right now is “Asian Lady Beetle,” but that’s pretty much a subtype of ladybug.

 

Why Asian Lady Beetles Are Being Called “Evil Ladybugs”

As we said, you can call asian lady beetles a type of ladybug if you want, but why are they being called evil?

They’re Invasive

Although calling Asian Lady Beetles “invasive” is an apt description of how it can feel to have them swarm your home, that’s not actually the reason why. Asian Lady Beetles aren’t a native type of coccinellid/ladybug/ladybird/ladybeetle to Alabama, which is what makes them “invasive.” 

The problem with invasive species, such as the Asian Lady Beetle, is that they aren’t accounted for in the food chain of the area’s ecosystem, which disrupts the native populations of multiple species, including native ladybugs and their typical prey. There is simply not a sufficient population of Asian Lady Beetle predators to keep their population under control, and they eat too many of the native types of ladybugs that are supposed to be responsible for eating mites and other smaller insects.

Since they throw off the balance of Alabama’s ecosystems, we’ll throw the hysterical news outlets a bone about them describing Asian Lady Beetles as “invasive.” Still, we’re side-eyeing the misleading way they’re using the term to spark concern in Alabama’s people.  

 

The “Death Spiral” 

That “death spiral” term everyone is using about Asian Lady Beetles? It’s just a bunch of misinformation!

“Death spirals” are something that ants do; they go around and around in a circle following each other’s scent trails until they get exhausted and die. Asian Lady Beetles and other coccinellids don’t do this!

There are actually two different Asian Lady Beetle/coccinellid behaviors being inaccurately described as “death spirals” right now:

• • Clusters/swarms: When Asian Lady Beetles/coccinellids are all swarming together on a surface, it’s because there is light or another heat source there that they’re all trying to warm up with, especially at this time of year. They might move erratically next to each other because they’re fighting for a warm spot while also trying to avoid being trampled by each other. Still, there’s no spinning or spiraling going on of any kind, except maybe some partial turning in different directions to find more room. 
  • Flying patterns: We keep finding that many of these trending articles claim the “death spiral” nickname refers to the way Asian Lady Beetles/ladybugs fly. This isn’t true at all. They fly straight, unless they’re injured. And even then, they’re only going to be doing something like spinning if they fall at a precise angle, which isn’t a common thing. The confusion here may stem from the way ladybugs unfurl their wings before taking off in flight, which isn’t very spiral-y to the naked eye.

 

The only times you might see a ladybug-like critter run around in circles is if they are exposed to pest control chemicals or other substances that are making their rudimentary nervous systems “short-circuit,” OR if they have a parasite making them behave oddly to attract the attention of a ladybug predator that the parasite can make their next host. 

We hope we’ve cleared up some of the confusion surrounding “evil ladybugs” and are glad to provide yet another informative piece that offers free insect-related education to the people of Alabama. 

If you have an infestation of Asian Lady Beetles or other types of ladybugs on your property, don’t stress it. Just let our experts know, and we’ll gladly help you get rid of them and restore the peace.

Since 1965, Vulcan Termite and Pest Control has proudly served Alabama families. Whether you need us for fall, summer, winter, or spring pest control, we’re glad to help protect you and your family with our effective solutions! Call us at 205-663-4200 or contact us online to learn more about our affordable, effective pest control solutions.