Residents in the Red River Valley have seen an infestation of lady bugs this fall, and many of them are sneaking into homes and other buildings.

In Manitoba, there are over 60 species of lady bugs, but the ones we're seeing a lot of are the multicoloured Asian lady beetle, according to entomologist John Gavoloski.

"Lady beetle populations in general are driven by food and they like to eat aphids. We had a lot of aphids this year. There were aphids in soybeans and there were some issues with aphids in the cereal crops, so there was a lot of food for them to eat, and that really helped build up their population."

Most native species of lady bugs tend to hide under leaf piles and rocks during the fall, but this particular species likes to congregate on the sides of homes and will often squeeze through cracks or gaps to enter inside the house.

Gavloski tells us there is another noticeable difference between the multicoloured Asian lady beetle and their native cousins.

"This lady beetle has a different side to it. They will give you a nip sometimes when they land on you. It's not because they're scared, but we think its probably because they are trying get some of the salt off of your body. Again, they're not trying to hurt you, but as they attempt this it will feel like a bit of a nip."

He suggests sealing up any of the openings along your house to keep the bugs outside, and if they are inside your home, there's a couple of things you can do.

"Don't squish them because you'll notice a smell and it does stain. Instead, if you want to catch and release them you can take a nylon stocking and elastic band it to the tip of the vacuum hose. When you turn it on you will get this tube that gets sucked in. You can then vacuum the bugs up and then slip it (the nylon stocking) off and release them."