Lady bugs are swarming the south, most prominently in the Tennessee Valley, News Max reported. The swarm is an annual event, but this year's gathering is larger than usual. Pictures here.
"There were probably one million of them," said Diana Stroud, whose southern home witnessed the passing hoard of black and red beetles. "They were all over the porch, the far side of the house, everything was covered.
"We were just sitting at home and noticed a few outside," she said. "We went out to look and there were tons flying around. We were really shocked."
Entomologist David Cook of the Davidson County Extension Service said the weather most likely explains the bigger beetle pack, according to News Max.
"We have perfect weather conditions, and a large food population," Cook told WTVF. "This is a perfect insect storm."
"One reason I think we may be seeing more of them is that this summer was so cool and we had a lot more rain," Harvey Cotton of the Huntsville Botanical Gardens told 48NewsWaff.com. "We had a lot more foliage growing and we had a lot more bugs like aphids and other insects out there. They were the food source of these ladybugs and so they bred more."
Though lady bugs, or Asian Lady Bugs, as this breed is officially called, are harmless and can actually be purchased online as a form of natural pest control (though the practice is somewhat controversial), Cook notes they emit an unpleasant order and conglomerate around light sources, News Max reported.
"It will get worse before it gets better," Cook said. "We will need a couple of good, hard freezes to get rid of them."
