Ladybug mating pics
Hi,
I got carried away & sifted through all my bug pictures since I got my digital camera & tidied up the best ones for you. I’ll send them in bunches, trying not to make any one email huge. Use whatever ones you like, however you like on your site.
Love, Marian

Hi Marian,
Your mating Ladybird Beetles are a nice addition to our site. Thanks much

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On the rosebush
Hi,
We found this little guy on the rosebush as we were cleaning off aphids. S/he is about 1/4 inch long. Have not seen one like it, so was curious to know what it might be.
Thanks in advance,
Eric Bergsten

Hi Eric,
I hope your immature Lady Bird Beetle or Ladybug did not come to an untimely end. The larvae are ravenous aphid eaters, and unlike the adults, do not fly away. Your specimen is Harmonia axyridis, the Multicolored Asian lady beetle.

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We just photographed this yellow ladybird beetle which just emerged from the pupa. By the next day, it had turned orange with black spots.

Are these Ladybugs?Your site is very cool. I have a question for you. We have had some lady bugs living inside our home during the winter months for several years and we were not bothered by them, in fact, we thought them to be kind of cute. However, its seems that a new species of lady bug has arrived and these are different than the ones we are used to. The ways they are different: 1) more light orange in color. 2) they smell and stain if smashed. 3.) They appear to have a slightly different shaped head than the red lady bugs. 4.) They have been aggressive and even BITE. Are these lady bugs at all or some other beetle? (If they are not lady bugs- where did they originate? When did they arrive here in Pennsylvania and- Are they able to reproduce with ladybugs? Are they in competition with them? Will they overtake the niche of our regular lady bugs?) Thanks for your answers!!!

Lori

Dear Lori,
We have information on the Asian Ladybird Beetle, (Harmonia axyridis) which can become a "nuisance when large numbers begin crawling on windows, walls, light fixtures, and other indoor surfaces. When disturbed, they also secrete a foul-smelling orange-colored fluid that can spot and stain walls, carpeting, and other surfaces….
Because the Asian lady beetle is a tree-dwelling insect, homes and buildings in forested areas are especially prone to infestation. Suburban and landscaped industrial settings adjacent to wooded areas have also had large lady beetle aggregations. Once the beetles land on the sunny side of the building, they attempt to locate cracks and other dark openings for hibernation sites. These locations may ultimately be on any side of the structure. Common overwintering sites include cracks and crevices around window and door frames, porches, garages and outbuildings, beneath exterior siding and roof shingles, and within wall voids, attics, and soffits. Structures in poor repair or with many cracks and openings are especially vulnerable to problems."
Large aggregations began to be reported from your area beginning aroung 1993. They will not breed with our native Lady Bird Beetles and there is a good chance they are in competition with them.

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What’s are these bugs? All were found on Fort Bragg, NC My daughter and I are creating a site where we are doing an online bug collection. I have tried many sources to identify these bugs to no avail. Do you know what any of these are?
Lynette

Hi Lynette,
Congratulations on your site. This is the pupa of a Ladybird Beetle, commonly known as a Ladybug, though they are really beetles. There is an interesting theory about the meaning of the children’s song, according to Lutz. He writes “Many of us have quoted: ‘Lady-bird, lady-bird! Fly away home. Your house is on fire. Your children do roam.’ Some of us add: ‘Except little Nan, who sits in a pan weaving gold laces as fast as she can.’ What is it all about? Many Lady-bird (Coccinellid) larva eat Aphids and this rhyme started in the Old country, where they burn the hop vines after the harvests. These vines are usually full of aphids and coccinellid ‘children.’ A Nan who can not roam but sits in a pan weaving gold laces is … a yellow pupa.” (ed note: your pupa is of the black and red variety) “Why ‘Lady-bird’ or ‘Lady Beetles?’" continues Lutz, "That goes back still further to the Middle Ages when these beneficial insects were dedicated to the virgin and were the ‘Beetles of Our Lady.’”

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