Warm Winnipeg weather wakes ladybugs from hibernation

They're colourful, they're spotted and they've crawled out of hiding in Winnipeg this weekend thanks to the warmer weather.

Ladybugs emerged by the thousands to the delight and disdain of some.

Taz Stuart, an entomologist with Poulin's Pest Control Services, said the warm weather is actually tricking the insects into thinking it's summer and time to eat. 

"It's like summer in their brain," Stuart said. "They're going, 'Hey, I can find a new hibernation spot, so I'm going to move around."

Stuart also said ladybugs gather in droves because they release pheromones that attract one another.

But hesaid the bugs won't be out much longer because a lot of their food sources have dried up.

"They're getting tricked yes, just like other insects they're going 'hey is it time, but no.' They know the sun is low in the sky, the days are shorter, they know it's fall not spring time," Stuart said.

Eight-year-old Joffin Bjornson spotted several ladybugs on his Halloween decorations outside his home in River Heights.

"I saw a lot of them on the gravestones and just like on the railings and stuff, but there were tonnes yesterday all around and I was amazed," Bjornson said.

Stuart added if the ladybugs are causing problems, a permethrin spray will kill them if sprayed directly on them. But he says it shouldn't be necessary as this week will be much cooler and they'll go back into hibernation.