BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 6, 2025
Multicolored Asian lady beetles, an invasive species in the same family as Maine’s native ladybugs, often move indoors in the fall to overwinter. They’re mostly harmless. They don’t chew on furniture, spread disease or reproduce indoors. The downside is that crushing them releases a strong odor and yellow stain, and they can bite, Asian lady beetles may be a pest inside your home, but outdoors, they play an important role in Maine’s gardens and forests, feeding on aphids. With a few preventive measures, you can keep these seasonal visitors where they belong — out in nature and not crawling across your ceilings.