Q: Our house is suddenly full of ladybugs, they are everywhere! As harmless as they seem, it's starting to get kind of creepy. Any ideas as to why this is happening, and is this something that needs an exterminator or can we do something about it ourselves? Thanks, EE
A: Ivan says - Let the ladybugs be. They're looking for a place to hibernate for the winter and lay their eggs. These are the good guys. They eat garden pests, and they lay their eggs near where pest eggs already are, or may be laid. So ladybug babies will eat the bad babies when springtime comes.
If you let them be, they'll help you, and you'll have a happy garden when the weather turns nice after winter.
The End.
Q: Some fruit flies have taken up residence at my house. I don't want them to be fruitful and multiply. Does anyone have any good (preferably inexpensive) methods of getting rid of them before they become a real problem? Thanks, MG
A: Ivan says - There is an easy an inexpensive solution: in a small bowl pour about 1/8 cup red wine, add in a couple of drops of dish detergent and place this near where the fruit flies are congregating. The soap breaks the surface tension of the liquid so when the fruit flies are attracted to the smell of the wine they can't coast on its surface and when they alight to drink, they fall right in.
Of course, you have to discard whatever rotten fruit or veggie called them into your kitchen in the first place, otherwise they'll never go away. In my family's kitchen when we can't visually spot the source of a fruit fly gathering we start looking in cabinets for rotten potatoes or onions. Good luck!
