It was one of those days that crop up every October here in Indiana: Following a rainy day or two, the sun was out, the air temperature was warmer than in the previous days, and a south breeze was whipping fallen leaves helter-skelter across the deck, rooftop and lawn.

I couldn’t help but notice that leaves caught in the swirling updrafts of the autumn winds were pelting the windows and doors of our home. But I also noticed another thing: Especially on the south side of our house, the windows were alive with insects.

Yes, these are what a poet or two have described as the declining days of fall. The minutes of sunshine decline as the days get shorter and the nights get longer. The shortened days are an unfailing signal to the insect world that winter is on the way. This means that some species of insects that hibernate as adults begin to seek a sheltered place to hunker down for the cold winter months. Such a place is our home.

My quick perusal of our windows and garage that sunny October day found six species of insects looking to spend the winter at “Hotel Turpin.” The most numerous of these insect seekers were the Asian lady beetles. These lady beetles are sometimes known as Halloween beetles because they show up around our homes during the Halloween season.

These lady beetles more often than other species of lady beetles will bite a human. Why these beetles bite is an open question, but to most people such a bite just adds insult to the nuisance of having the insect share our abode.

There are also a few true bugs that seek winter shelter in our homes. One of these is the squash bug.  This appropriately named pest of squash plants is a grayish-colored bug that sucks the juices out of the squash fruit as it grows. The squash bug has a distinctive odor – as anyone who has squashed one has found.

Another true bug that can be found near our homes this time of year is the marmorated stink bug. Like other stink bugs, the marmorated stink bug is shield-shaped and is true to its name in that it produces an odor when disturbed. Stink bugs feed by sucking juices from plant tissue. Because it feeds on developing fruit, the marmorated stink bug is a major pest insect.

The boxelder bug is another true bug that tries to get inside our homes for the winter months. This red and black bug is often found hanging around on the sunny side of a home during the fall months. Its name reflects that it feeds on the seeds of boxelder trees. It also feeds on ash tree seeds.

So if you have either of these trees in your area, you might find boxelder bugs sunning themselves on the outside wall of your house. That is before they find a way to squeeze into the structure for the winter.

Not as common as the bugs and beetles around our homes during the fall is a queen paper wasp. These social insects that build their paper nests under the eves of houses survive the winter as mated queens that seek sheltered places. They often make their way into attics and wall voids. Like the other insect home invaders, the warmth of our heated homes sometimes induces the creatures to make a midwinter appearance in our living quarters.

Flies also take advantage of human dwellings for a wintering site. The most common is what is known as a cluster fly. These flies look similar to house flies but are so commonly found in our homes during the winter that they are also known as attic flies. The cluster fly is a parasite of earthworms and emerges from hibernation in the early spring in order to lay eggs on the earthworms that crawl around on the soil during this time of year. This behavior also means that the flies get from the attic to our living rooms throughout the winter season.

So the declining days of fall mean an accumulation of shelter-seeking insects outside our homes.  And when those stink bugs, lady beetles, paper wasps and cluster flies get inside our homes, it’s time to turn the vacuum cleaner into a “bug sucker.”

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Tom Turpin may write to him in care of this publication.