By CHRIS MELORE, US ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR – TheDailyMail.com
An invasive species that’s easily mistaken for the harmless ladybug is swarming into US homes by the thousands and may even attack the people inside.
State and federal officials have warned that the Asian lady beetle has become a potentially dangerous menace that bites people and damages property during the fall and winter months.
The insects also form ‘death spiral’ swarms which fly around the lights inside US homes, gathering in the walls in immense clusters of up to 15,000 or 20,000 bugs.
State researchers in Mississippi recently sounded the alarm that these insects would soon be trying to sneak back into homes by squeezing under window sills, looking for places to survive the winter.
However, the problem extends far beyond Mississippi, with Asian lady beetles being found in nearly every state in the US.
Not only do they have a pinching bite if they land on a person, but the ladybug impostors emit a defensive yellow fluid that has a foul odor, irritates human skin, and can stain fabrics.
The PennState Extension warned: ‘It is not uncommon for tens of thousands of beetles to congregate in attics, ceilings and wall voids, and due to the warmth of the walls, will move around inside these voids and exit into the living areas of the home.’
The government-funded science advisors at Penn State added that the smelly yellow liquid could also trigger allergic reactions and sinus problems if the goo gets on someone’s skin.