LIPOVA, Romania, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Residents of a Western Romania town say ladybugs looking for a good place to hibernate are invading their homes by the thousands.

Lipova residents said they are attempting to seal their homes to keep the ladybugs out, with some locals reporting thousands of the insects entering their houses in the space of only a few minutes.


Mayor Mircea Jichici said officials have tried using pesticides to curb the ladybug boom, "but we don't have enough to make an impact."

Biologist Mihai Pascu said this year's spike in the ladybug population can be attributed in part to rains causing a boom in the population of aphids, or greenflies, a favorite food source of ladybugs.

"If we will have a mild winter, their numbers could be even larger next year," Pascu warned.