One seemingly innocent creature that you might have loved as a child could endanger your beloved pet.

I was coming home from work earlier this week when I started to notice a few unplanned visitors hopping on the elevator with me.

Somehow a little ladybug had snuck in with me! I saw another ladybug in my apartment the week before and had wondered where it came from.

It had been a hot second since I last caught a glimpse of the tiny bugs. Growing up, my family always believed that seeing a ladybug was good luck.

Well, after doing some research, I found out that my little passenger was not actually a ladybug, but something that could cause some harm.

First things first, what I saw was definitely not a ladybug. I believe it was an orange and black-spotted Asian Lady Beetle.

While the two creatures are related, they are two vastly different types of pests. The ladybug is a harmless, red insect with black polka dots that usually are spotted in the springtime.

The orange and black-spotted Asian Lady Beetle is an invasive insect species that have a slight orange shell and a more oval body than their cousins, according to reports.

One of the biggest differences between these insects is size.

Your typical ladybug is slightly smaller than the Asian lady beetles.

While these little buggers are pretty much harmless to humans, they can bite. When they feel threatened, they actually can "excrete a foul-smelling, yellow liquid from their leg joints."

Also, they scrape the skin when they land on someone.s.

While they can be annoying for humans, they can be deadly for your furry friends. If your cat or dog were to consume the orange and black-spotted Asian Lady Beetle, they could cause some serious health issues.

In a recent report from KWWL, experts said that if Fluffy or Fido were to eat one of these insects, they could get burns inside of their mouth, esophagus, and even intestines.

The shells could get stuck in their gums, thus causing burns.

Symptoms of consuming these pests include; drooling, diarrhea, and vomiting.

So, you'll definitely want to keep this bug out of your home.

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