If You See a Yellow Ladybug, This Is What It Means

As balmy summer gives way to crisp autumn, it’s time to swap outdoor fun for indoor coziness—for humans and, unfortunately, insects too. Recently, you may have heard of one increasingly prevalent pest: the yellow ladybug. These hard-shelled, button-sized beetles resemble your everyday garden ladybug, but they’re yellow or orange in color. Apart from the difference in hue, the yellow ladybug has a telltale M-shaped pattern of dots between its head and shell.

More to the point, unlike red ladybugs, yellow ladybugs will try to sneak indoors to find shelter through winter months. Here’s the scoop on the yellow beetles: the good, the bad and the yucky.

What are yellow ladybugs?

These spotted insects look similar to the classic red and black ladybug, but their real name is the Asian lady beetle. Like red ladybugs, they eat aphids, scale insects and other garden pests, which makes them a helpful presence in the garden. In fact, the Asian lady beetle, an invasive species, was purposefully introduced to many southern and midwestern states to help cut down on harmful insects.

However, their numbers have grown, and the button-sized beetle has spread to every state. When the weather turns cold, they like to gather on the outsides of houses, seeking warm shelter to survive the winter. If they gain entry to the walls, they can infest a house—and no one needs more pantry pests!

Is a yellow ladybug poisonous?

The good news is that yellow ladybugs are not poisonous to humans. That said, they can be dangerous for pets to eat, causing GI upset and even more serious health issues.

Asian lady beetles will bite, and their jaws are strong enough to break human skin. Ouch! That’s obviously unpleasant, and some people will experience allergic reactions to the bites. (As a silver lining, they don’t spread disease.) Even more gross, the bugs secrete an unpleasant odor if they’re threatened and leave a slimy, stinky residue if crushed. In short, these tenacious insects are definitely not the house guests you want this fall and winter, even if they’re not toxic.

What does a yellow ladybug mean?

In the garden, yellow beetles are generally helpful and not a cause for concern. If you live in an area with high populations of Asian lady beetles, you should prepare your house for cold weather (especially the kitchen) by sealing any openings like gaps between doors and walls or windows, any holes or cracks in bricks or wood and so on. If you spot a yellow ladybug inside, take action. Use a vacuum to suck it up, rather than risking a streak of slime by crushing it. Immediately empty the vacuum into a trash bag, seal the bag and discard it right away. If you don’t have a good vacuum, it might be time to consider Shark vs. Dyson.