Ladybug Lore

Ladybugs have been swarming in my back yard the last few days. I'm not talking a few. I mean hundreds! I've never seen this happen before so it made me wonder if something strange was going on. This left me wishing I could quickly find out something about ladybugs. If only I had an easy way to look up information. Some sort of a portal to etymological data. Maybe if my computer could talk to someone else's computer? Or a bunch of computers? They could all be connected around the world in an electronic web. A world wide web if you will... So I looked up "ladybugs swarming" and learned some things. Ladybugs are not indigenous to North America. They're actually called the Asian Lady Beetle among other things. I already knew they are a desirable bug that feeds on garden pests. I also knew they were harmless to humans. And the swarming? Apparently they're just looking for a place to hang out over the winter. They like cliffs back home, but since there aren't that many cliffs around here, they choose the southern side of your house. So I spent my Sunday afternoon weatherproofing our back door, covered in orange bugs. My arms, my neck, my face. I probably looked like some character from a B-movie horror flick. It's crazy ladybug man! He's come for your aphids...