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Lady Asian Beetles Invading Philadelphia Area Are Mostly Harmless, Drexel University Doctor Says

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Have you noticed the unusual bug invasion happening right now? Meteorologist Lauren Casey took a look at where the bugs are coming from, and what to do if you find them in your home.

"If it's in your house, and there are several of them or many of them, it's going to be this species," Jon Gelhaus, a doctor from Drexel University, said.

Referred to as the multi-colored lady Asian beetle, many of us have observed these non-native ladybugs invade our homes. And the reason why.

"They don't want to spend the winter outside," Gelhaus said.

The warm-weather-loving ladybug is one of the most variable species of insect around.

"There are hundreds in North America and we have a few here that were sampled right here in Center City, Philadelphia, right outside of the academy," Gelhaus said.

And they come in all different designs

"Some can have no spots and can some can have 10 spots and some can have a number of spots in between," Gelhaus said.

Lady Asian Beetle Invading Philadelphia Area Are Mostly Harmless, Drexel University Doctor Says

No matter the pattern, the lady Asian beetle is relatively harmless to people and pets, except, "They do bite," Gelhaus said.

"It's not like a bite where toxins are going in but, if one gets on you, you could probably feel a little bit of a bite," he said.

But the insects can be beneficial to your plants, thanks to their favorite snack.

They eat aphids, which are a pest on plants. That was the reason they were originally brought from Asia as a biocontrol agent years ago and they are very effective in doing that with crops.

The ladybugs can however cause some gross effects to your property.

"Some of them will leak a little bit of blood, what we call hemline, a yellowish liquid when it's disturbed, so if you scoop them up or crush them, you can get that yellow staining on materials in your house," Gelhaus said.

And so the question remains: to kill or not to kill these fabled luck-bestowing uninvited house guests.

"If you're vacuuming them up or cleaning them up, probably kill them because if you put them outside, they may find their way back into your house," Gelhaus said.

But before you send any multicolored Asian lady beetles off to bug heaven, Gelhaus encourages one more thing: "People spend a little bit of time before they smash an insect and look at it and just admire what a wonderful organism it is."

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