A horrified woman shared a video of ladybirds swarming over her windows and walls after they invaded her home but it became too much when one had a smelly wee on her hand
Lois Mallett-Walker considers herself something of a nature lover but even she couldn’t cope with hundreds of insects invading her personal space and taking over her house.
The UK has seen a huge increase in the number of ladybirds this year thanks to warmer weather providing perfect breeding conditions and plenty of food. But it seems they’re not done swarming yet, even though we’re well into autumn.
Although Lois thinks the tiny red critters are very ‘cute’ she really didn’t want them all over her windows, walls and curtains and was mortified when one relieved itself on her hand – and it smelt revolting!
READ MORE: Britain’s gloomy weather forecast to END in just days as maps show balmy 15C weekendREAD MORE: Stop garden weeds from growing by scattering 1 item in autumnLois loves the insects but not in her home!(Image: Jam Press/@mummybossadventure)
Lois managed to get some of them outside(Image: Jam Press/@mummybossadventure)
“One peed on me and it stank,” the 35-year-old said. “There was yellow-stained liquid on my hand, and it smelt so bad.” Lois claimed there around 300 ladybirds, including baby ones, crawling all over the area where the doors in her house lead outside – around the windows, in the sills, under the patio doors and in the curtains. “I love ladybugs, but it was far too many in my house for me,” she said.
Being an animal lover and the director of a dog event company in Hertfordshire, Lois attempted to get as many outside as possible but had to hoover some up. She believes they were hiding in her windows, preparing to hibernate for winter but a spell of warmer weather woke them up.
The ‘invasion’ started in the first week of October and thankfully she thinks they may be going back to sleep now because it was all a bit overwhelming: “It made me feel like ‘this is a lot’,” she recalled. “I was like, ‘Can you find somewhere else to nest even though you’re totally cute?’ I’ve been finding more today in various places, but mostly they have gone back into the hibernation stage, which makes them look dead, but they’re not. I tried to release as many as possible, but I had to hoover some up.”
Lois shared a clip of the ladybirds on TikTok to ask if anyone else was experiencing the same thing. “I love them, but this was too much… also one let out some liquid on my finger and it STANK!” she said in the clip which racked up almost 30,000 views.
It seems she wasn’t the only one with unwelcome autumn houseguests. One person commented: “I had the same twice this week! So scary.” Another added: “They’ve had a really good breeding season this year it’s mental.” A third fumed: “It’s driving me insane! I can’t even open my front door or windows.” Others added: “Me! All on the front of my house,” and “Hundreds outside today.”
Ladybirds or ladybugs have had a particularly successful year in 2025. The warm spring and summer many areas in the UK enjoyed provided the perfect conditions for the insects to thrive. Sophie Thorogood, technical training manager at Pest-Stop , explained the balmy conditions are primarily responsible for autumn’s ladybird ‘invasion’. She said: “This summer’s warm weather has created ideal conditions for insects to thrive. The higher temperatures have boosted populations of all insects, including aphids – one of the ladybird’s main food sources.”
As temperatures drop, ladybirds prepare to survive the winter by entering a resting state known as “diapause”, similar to hibernation. “During this period, they look for warm, sheltered places to protect themselves from cold, wet conditions and a lack of food. In the wild, this might be gaps in tree bark or under rocks, but increasingly they find refuge in homes, sheds and outbuildings, which offer dry, protected spaces,” she continued.
Lois shared a video of a ladybird invasion in her home (Image: Jam Press/@mummybossadventure)
The bugs came into her home at the beginning of October (Image: Jam Press/@mummybossadventure)
While ladybirds can be very helpful in the garden, they largely become a nuisance when they move indoors. “Large clusters can stain walls, wallpaper and woodwork with their secretions, though they’re not harmful to humans or pets.”
If you have a large number in your home, it’s best to deal with them humanely by relocating them outside. Use a piece of paper or anything they can climb on so they can be put out. If the thought of handling them gives you the shudders, a spider vacuum works well.
When there are large numbers inside the home it’s best to remove them as soon as possible so they don’t reappear in spring. Sophie also suggests sealing small gaps around windows and doors to block their entry points. “While ladybirds are tiny and can be difficult to completely exclude, closing off cracks and crevices will help reduce numbers,” she said.
Ladybirds don’t like citrus smells so if you want to use a natural deterrent, try leaving orange and lemon peel on the window sills or rub them over the frames. Once you have removed the insects, wipe surfaces with a vinegar and water solution to stop their remaining scent attracting others.
