Let’s look at popular ladybug (lady beetle) facts and myths and find out whether it is recommended to buy lady beetles to combat insect pests.
Can you tell a butterfly from a moth? It’s not always easy. See Tips for Identifying Butterflies here.
Learning to Work with Nature
Some of this content with images is used by permission from the publisher of
Good Garden Bugs by Mary M. Gardiner
who also provided a review copy of the book.
Whether you call them “ladybugs” or “lady bird beetles” or “lady beetles,” native species are welcome garden predators. They feast on various insect pests including thrips, scales, aphids, and spider mites.
The Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axryidis) is a non-native species which is invasive in North America. These are the ones that appear in your home in winter and sting (a little bit) on contact.
While we think of ladybugs as red and black bugs, there are many species with an assortment of shapes, patterns, colors, textures, and sizes. See if you recognize any of the examples.
In recent years the sale of ladybugs has become popular at plant nurseries. Sold as natural predators, it sounds like a good pesticide-free way to deal with pests. Unfortunately, there are drawbacks that may cause more harm than good.
Contents
- 7 Surprising Facts about Lady Beetles
- Should I Buy Lady Beetles?
- Introduced, Non-Native Lady Beetles
- 5 Unusual Lady Beetles
- Resources
7 Surprising Facts about Lady Beetles
By Mary M. Gardiner
author of Good Garden Bugs: Everything You Need to Know About Beneficial Predatory Insects.
1Spot Colors
Not all lady beetles are red with black spots. Their elytra (or wing covers) may be red, black, yellow, or even metallic blue and may or may not include spots.
2Larvae
The larvae of most lady beetles are slender predators with a black spiny body with light markings. Some, such as those in the genus Scymnus appear bright white as they produce a protective waxy secretion.
3Prey
Lady beetles feed on a number of different prey including aphids, scales, mealybugs, and caterpillars.
4Eggs
The eggs of lady beetles are bright orange and football-shaped, laid in clusters on plant leaves, stems and tree bark.
5Introduced Species
The multi-colored Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis) has given ALL lady beetles a bad name. This exotic, introduced species is a voracious predator of garden pests but it also invades homes to overwinter and feeds on fruit including grapes in late summer. If beetles are harvested along with grape clusters they can be crushed in the wine-making process adding a unique and distasteful flavor to the finished product.
6Flowers
Lady beetles love flowers! Both the adults and larvae of lady beetles feed on pollen and nectar. Providing these resources are important to extend their longevity in the garden.
7Declining Numbers
Unfortunately several species of lady beetles have declined significantly in the United States. These include the nine-spotted and two-spotted lady beetles.
Should I Buy Lady Beetles?
Should I buy ladybugs (or lady beetles) to combat pests in my garden?
The consensus amongst experts is no, it is not recommended.
There are issues both with how they are collected and what they do once they get in your garden.
Mary writes,
“Wild-collected populations are not guaranteed to be free of diseases or parasitoids.
Releasing these lady beetles could mean releasing their afflictions as well, which could impact established convergent lady beetle populations in your region….”
Also, lady beetles collected in the wild are usually over-wintered which means, upon release in your garden, they will probably fly away before dining on any pests. Good-bye, money!
The collection of wild ladybugs for sale is also questionable. Often they are collected from winter habitats and their removal is disruptive to those environments.
Between the possibility of disease, the ethics of collecting them, and the chance they will fly away, buying ladybugs is not recommended.
Listen
Introduced Non-Native Lady Beetles
Various lady beetle species have been introduced to the United States as biological controls to combat pest insects.
Unfortunately, some have proven to outcompete native lady beetles resulting in declining populations.
Some of these problem species are:
- the seven-spot lady beetle (Coccinella septempunctata)
- multicolored Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis)
- checkerspot lady beetle (Propylea quatuordecimpunctata)
- variegated lady beetle (Hippodamia variegata)
The most recognizable one is the multicolored Asian lady beetle that winters in our homes. They are despised at vineyards where they feast on ripe grapes resulting in an unpleasant taste to any wine produced.
5 Unusual Lady Beetles
You might have noticed these insects in your garden but never realized they are ladybugs!
With over 6,000 described species worldwide, these are just a few examples.
1Metallic Blue Lady Beetle
![Metallic Blue Lady Beetle [Photo: Matt Edmonds]](https://empressofdirt.net/wp-content/uploads/h7-Metallic-blue-by-Matt-Edmonds.jpg "Did you know there are blue Lady beetles? Yes! And these ones don't even have spots. There's plenty more of these beneficial insects you probably won't recognize. Click to see more.")
2Checkerspot Lady Beetle
![Checkerspot Lady Beetle [photo: Thomas Bentley thomasbentley.com]](https://empressofdirt.net/wp-content/uploads/h7-Checkerspot-lady-beetle-by-Thomas-Bentley.jpg "You can see how the Checkerspot Lady Beetle gets its name! There's lots of unusual types of Lady Beetles. Get to know all these garden helpers.")
3Twice-stabbed Lady Beetle
![Twice-stabbed Lady Beetle [photo: Charley Eiseman]](https://empressofdirt.net/wp-content/uploads/h7-Twice-stabbed-by-Charley-Eiseman.jpg "The Twice-stabbed Lady Beetle is black with two red spots! Get to know all the Lady Beetles—they're helping you out in the garden!")
4Scymnus Larvae
This photo may prevent you from harming future Lady Beetles! Yes, it may look creepy but don’t disturb larvae—you want these guys working in your garden one day.
![Scymnus larvae [Photo: Abigail M. Parker]](https://empressofdirt.net/wp-content/uploads/d7-Scymnus-larva-by-Abigail-M-Parker.jpg "These larva will become Lady Beetles! If you find them in your garden, leave them alone!")
5Harmonia Adult and Larva
How about this one? That long insect beside the red lady beetle is actually an Asian Lady beetle larva. It’s always good to know who your friends are!
![Harmonia adult and larva [Photo: Mary M. Gardiner]](https://empressofdirt.net/wp-content/uploads/h7-Harmonia-adult-and-larva-by-Mary-M-Gardiner.jpg)
Have you noticed any unusual Lady beetle species in your garden? For years I have noticed various ladybugs without spots. Now I know it was actually different species—I assumed they were just waiting to grow their spots!
Resources
Good Garden Bugs
Good Garden Bugs: Everything You Need to Know About Beneficial Predatory Insects (at Amazon.com) by Mary M. Gardiner features what Mary refers to as “natural enemies.” These are good garden bugs that provide natural pest control in the underbelly of the garden.
Along with native lady beetles, there are many other “good bugs,” of course, including spiders, lacewings, wasps, and more. Our own fears often slot them into undesirable categories, but, once you learn what they are up to, they soon become welcome little superheroes in nature.
- The Lost Ladybug project (www.lostladybug.org) -a citizen science program tracking the decline of some Lady beetle species.
- Bugguide.net – online community of naturalists who enjoy learning about and sharing observations of insects, spiders, and other related creatures.
- Interview and podcast with Mary M. Gardiner with Margaret Roach of A Way To Garden
I hope you enjoyed this selection. Grab a copy of the book if you want to know about the beneficial bugs in your garden.
~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛