Spring has arrived in the Fort Valley. We went from snow and sub-freezing nights to two 80°F+ days in a row, and then throttled back to normal springtime temperatures.
The pulse of heat brought about a big release of ladybugs from our walls, and at times it was as apocalyptic a scene as it was back in October and November when they swarmed all over the house, looking for a way in. Here is a look at the interior of our screened-in porch:
But – great news – over the weekend, the numbers dropped down to approximately zero! It appears that they have all flushed out, and the survivors have dispersed into the great outdoors. If I were to go out again and re-photograph these same corners, they would be blissfully devoid of ladybugs.
My plan is to seal the exterior of the house this spring with expanding foam and silicone caulk, in hopes of limiting our overwintering population of ladybugs next year.