They’re everywhere! They buzz around campus, landing on students’ heads and nibbling on their necks – all in the name of hibernation.

Multicolored Asian lady beetles, the ladybug-like insects that have been all over DeKalb recently, are preparing for the long winter months, said Bethia King, NIU associate professor of biological sciences.

The insects, which originate from Asia, are accustomed to hibernating near the tops of cliffs.

Because cliffs are a rarity in the Midwest, these beetles often have to improvise, which means finding warm spots at the tops of homes and other buildings, King said.

Last week’s cooler weather made the insects think it was time to hibernate, so they’re looking for places to stay. And in the process, they become a nuisance to humans, King said.

The annoyances are unintended, and so is the biting, she said.

The beetles don’t really bite; they nibble, said Mike Prescott, master gardener coordinator for the University of Illinois’ extension in DeKalb County. He said the bugs produce a biting feeling because they’re trying to figure out what they’ve landed on.

Multicolored Asian lady beetles are not new to the area, although they’re out in larger numbers this year.

Prescott said the large number of bugs are due to the outbreak of pests on crops.

Aphids, which attack soybean crops, were present in uncommonly high numbers this season, Prescott said. Multicolored Asian lady beetles normally feed on aphids, so the increased amount of aphids caused an increased amount of multicolored Asian lady beetles.

There are nearly five times more beetles than normal, Prescott said.

Now that soybeans have dried up and the aphids have gone away, the beetles no longer spend all their time in the fields.

They now have found their way to other parts of the county, such as the NIU campus, where students struggled to swat them away Monday.

Animal activist groups need not be alarmed, though. Flicking the insects away won’t hurt them, King said.

Squashing the bugs, however, will not only hurt the beetle, but could bother the squasher as well.

When squashed, the beetles leave orange, yellow and/or red stains on skin and on clothing, King said.

And they smell, too.

The odor, King said, is emitted from their blood, which usually acts as a guard against predators.

With pests on crops no longer available for consumption, the multicolored Asian lady beetles are expected to stick around until the weather gets much colder and the insects hibernate for the winter.