Saturday Critters: Lady Beetles

Spotted Pink Lady Beetle (Coleomegilla maculata)

Ursine Spurleg (Orange-spotted) Lady Beetle
(Brachiacantha ursina)

Three-banded Lady Beetle (Coccinella trifasciata)

Above are the photos of native lady beetle species that I have found on my land over the past 20 years. Only three species of natives! And below are the lady beetle species from the past twenty years on my land that have been introduced to North America over history to rid us of aphids. That hasn't gone so well, has it? But our native population of lady beetles has plummeted because of these new ones: 

Asian Lady Beetle (Harmonia axyridis)
Now invading Europe.
Chronic Vermont home infestations.
Distinctive smell.
Bad tasting to pets.
They bite.
Usually large, but come in many sizes and color variations.

Instar of Asian Lady Beetle larva

Instar of Asian Lady Beetle larva

Seven-spotted Lady Beetle
(Coccinella septempunctata)
European
Established in US in 1973
Official state insect in five different states:
Delaware, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Ohio, and Tennessee.

Variegated Lady Beetle (Hippodamia variegata)
European
First found in Québec in 1987

Fourteen-spotted Lady Beetle

(Propylea quatuordecimpunctata)

From Europe, North Africa, and Asia

Instar of Fourteen-spotted Lady Beetle

Vermont Lady Beetle Species Profiles

After 25 years, Two-spotted Lady Beetle is Rediscovered in Vermont

Submit your critter!
Viewing Nature with Eileen

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Ladybug Trails

Tracks of a Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle

Working in the kitchen late at night, John noticed marks in the dust covered windows. A fascinating pattern of marks, triangular and linear, was in the dust. Ladybug tracks — the invasive, house-infesting ladybugs. I photographed the ladybug trails as soon as he pointed them out to me. How dirty have windows gotten when you can see bug tracks on them? It's pretty bad. But I still haven't bothered to clean the windows because the dust here is still unbelievable bad.

A secret ladybug message written in dust

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Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle

Harmonia axyridis

It's ladybug infestation time again. But it isn't as bad here as in northern Vermont. This one was spotless. According to bugguide.net:

First introduced to North America (for biological control of aphids) in California in 1916, and again in California in 1964 and 1965. Also introduced in Washington state from 1978–1982, and in Nova Scotia, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Washington D.C., Delaware, Maine, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina from 1978–1981 [Gordon, 1985]. Despite the numerous intentional releases, the species did not become established until 1988 in Louisiana [Chapin and Broux, 1991]. Thereafter, it spread rapidly thoughout most of United States, reaching Canada in 1994.

Although not native to this country, this species is widely sold for aphid control throughout the US, and has become very well-established (to the point of becoming a nuisance). The stage that eats the most aphids is the larva.

Adult beetles seek sheltered places to hibernate for the winter, and often invade homes in large numbers for that purpose. The best way to prevent this is to find and seal the cracks by which they gain entry.

When threatened, ladybird beetles in general, and this one in particular, exude a foul-smelling and -tasting liquid from their leg joints.

Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle Set

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