It's the season of the orange and black spotted Asian Lady Beetles invading homes, but they can be harmful to your pets, such as cats and dogs, if they're consumed.
DUBUQUE, Iowa (KWWL) — It's the season of the orange and black-spotted Asian Lady Beetles invading homes, but they can be harmful to your pets, such as cats and dogs, if they're consumed.
Veterinarian Robin Mundt with the Dubuque County Veterinarian Services explained, “It can cause burns in the mouth, esophagus, stomach, the intestines.”
The symptoms animals can have after consuming the beetles is vomiting, diarrhea and drooling. It's not just the liquid they release that hurts your pets, it's the shells too.
Dr. Mundt explained, “Those hard little Asian Beetle shells can get stuck between the gums and the teeth or the roof of the mouth and cause burns there.”
Zach Schumm, Insect Diagnostician with Iowa State University Plant and Insect Diagnostician Clinic, says the best thing to do is sweep and vacuum them dead or alive, and avoid spraying them with insect killer in your home.
Schumm said, “Whatever thing you decide to spray is probably going to be more harmful than the insect itself.”
The Lady Beetles can bite, but are more of annoyance to humans than harmful. Mundt says bugs are worse this season due to a mild winter.
Dr. Mundt said, “Fleas, ticks, all the bugs, are way worse this year because we didn't get a good hard ground killer or anything.”
Dr. Mundt says that the symptoms of pets consuming them are vague, but if you happen to see your dog or cat eating the beetles, put in a call to your local vet.
Dr. Mundt explained, “We've had a lot of unexplained vomiting and diarrhea, that just comes on suddenly, and you know, a little minor treatment, and they're feeling better. But they're younger dogs, and sometimes we just wonder if it's the Asian Beetles that they are consuming.”
Once eastern Iowa gets a good consistent freeze, these pests will be gone.
Schumm added, “It's a temporary thing. Once we get like further into cold weather they're going to stop being active outdoors and coming inside.”
