Under Attack

Spring arrived early in Boston, bringing with it the promise of warm days, long strolls, and open windows. Unfortunately, spring also brought long dormant insects out of hibernation-namely, a family of ladybugs living directly outside of Caitlin's nursery.

Actually, the ladybugs made several appearances prior to spring's arrival. Every now and again, I found a ladybug stuck inside of a wall sconce or crawling along a window pane. Over the past few weeks, the problem grew worse. Two weeks ago a ladybug landed in my hair while nursing Caitlin before bed. It took every ounce of strength I had to continue nursing and casually swat the bug away. Last Sunday morning, I found a ladybug crawling on Caitlin's nightgown. Later that week, I noticed a small group of ladybugs loitering on the nursery windowsills. Little by little, as the temperatures slowly rose, the ladybug population increased.


Yesterday, I went into Caitlin's room after her midday nap. To my horror, I saw not two, not six, but twenty-four (yes, I counted) ladybugs all over the floor, windows, curtains, walls, and ceiling. The nursery was under attack. This was no longer a problem I could nonchalantly swat away. This was a battle and I needed to take immediate action. Obviously, I called my husband. Normally, my handy husband can fix almost any household related problem. Upon entering the nursery, he simply stood and stared. No action. Just staring. "Matt, we can't leave these ladybugs here. What if they crawl into Caitlin's crib? What if they crawl into her mouth?" Now truthfully, the ladybugs had not come close to Caitlin's crib, but a new mama is prone to irrational fears. "I don't know what to do. Let me do some research," Matt said as he calmly left the nursery and settled down on the couch.

As Matt researched ladybug removal, I reached out for help. Where does a new mother turn during a time of desperation? Facebook, of course. I asked my 197 friends how to safely remove ladybugs from a baby's room. While checking my Facebook notifications every thirty minutes (o.k., every thirty seconds), I collected an array of feedback-some helpful (vacuum up those ladies), some not (put some warm, buttered cinnamon toast on the nursery floor). I held out hope for a permanent, nontoxic solution, but the vacuum remained the best suggestion.

Before Caitlin's late afternoon nap, Matt lugged our industrial strength vacuum to the nursery and began sucking up ladybug after ladybug. If you ever had a ladybug infestation, you understand that these suckers multiply. What started as twenty-four ladybugs quickly turned into thirty, then forty. Every time we thought the ladybugs were gone, we found a straggler clutching for dear life to the curtains or the lampshade. Finally, after ten minutes of thorough vacuuming, the nursery was clear of insects. As late afternoon turned into evening and evening turned into night, the ladybugs did not return. The images of ladybugs crawling into Caitlin's crib began to fade away. I felt victorious.

Our victory was shortlived. The ladybugs came back again today. This means the industrial vacuum now has a permanent home in Caitlin's nursery. It also means I continue to hope for a chemical-free solution that will not displace the baby and will not involve home renovations. We may have won a battle or two, but as of right now, the ladybugs are winning the war.