Mexican Bean Beetles feed on plants, particularly legume crops like beans. They are deceptive, featuring a yellow to copper-brown shell with sixteen black spots. However, they damage crops.
Their life cycle begins as an egg, which hatches into a spiny, yellow-orange larva. The larval stage lasts for some weeks, during which the larvae feed and grow before pupating on the leaves they feed on.
After another week or two, the adult beetles emerge and start the cycle again. Controlling their population is essential to avoid significant crop damage.
The Mealybug Ladybird originates from Australia but is now present in parts of Europe and North America. This unique ladybug has a spotless dark brown wing cover, while the rest of the body is orange-brown. It feeds on destructive scale insects, especially mealybugs.
Moreover, the ladybird larvae are covered in waxy filaments, which makes them look similar to the mealybugs they eat. This disguise also helps them avoid becoming prey for other predators.
The Pine Ladybird has a black coat with four red spots. This beetle has become an adventurous species, crossing continents to live in pine forests and plantations in North America.
This type of ladybug showcases a nearly circular, glossy shape with a base flange. Typically, its black wing cover displays two prominent red spots and two smaller ones, which may be orange or yellow.
They control scale insects that damage pine trees. Female Pine Ladybirds lay eggs among these pests to ensure their hatchlings have an abundant food source upon hatching.
The Polished Lady Beetle is native to North America and is known for its smooth and glossy appearance. Its shell is vibrant and ranges from orange to red, with unspotted forewings, which gives it a minimalist and unique look.
Unlike other lady beetles, this is a solitary creature found in trees, shrubs, fields, and gardens. It feeds on aphids and other soft-bodied insects, including their eggs, making it a helpful ally to gardeners and farmers.
During the breeding season, the female Polished Lady Beetle lays hundreds of eggs near aphid colonies to feed the larvae when they hatch.
The Fourteen-Spotted Ladybug is native to Europe but can also live in North America and Asia. It has yellow or pale white wings with 14 black spots that often create complex patterns.
Gardeners and farmers appreciate the insect as a natural pest control agent because it feeds on aphid species. However, it is less efficient than other ladybugs due to its small size and slower feeding habits.
The multicolored Asian Lady Beetle, or Harlequin, originates from eastern Asia, though humans brought it to the United States and other countries to control pests.
Harlequin ladybugs exhibit three main physical variations. The "succinea" variety ranges from orange to red with up to 22 black spots.
Conversely, the "conspicua" and "spectabilis" forms are primarily black with two or four red markings, respectively. The pronotum pattern varies, and their undersides are dark, ringed with reddish-brown, matching their brown legs.
Asian Lady Beetles are notorious for being highly invasive. They often overwinter indoors, smell unpleasant when disturbed, and can bite humans. Their threat to native species and the grape industry has led to control methods2, including insecticides, trapping, beetle removal, and blocking building access.
The Thirteen-Spotted Ladybug lives in wetland habitats across the North Hemisphere. Its red or orange forewings are adorned with thirteen black spots.
Their diet helps maintain the balance of gardens and agricultural landscapes. During winter, the beetle hibernates with others of its kind under leaf litter or in other hidden areas, waiting for spring to resume its work.
The Convergent Ladybug, or Convergent Lady Beetle, is a native species of North America known for its distinctive markings, two white lines merging on its thorax. These white lines are unique to each individual, while the 12 to 13 black spots on its forewings resemble constellations.
Like many other ladybug species, they are tiny agricultural soldiers. Their primary food source is aphids and other soft-bodied insects; they are nature's pest controllers. The Convergent Ladybug can live in crop fields, forests, and grasslands as long as there is a plentiful supply of aphids.
These predatory species lay their eggs on the underside of leaves, often near aphid colonies, which serve as a food source for their young ones. Lady beetle eggs usually are spindle-shaped and yellow to orange-red.
The Two-Spotted Ladybug is native to the Palearctic region, which includes Europe, North Africa, and Northern Arabia. Humans have introduced them to North America's gardens and parks.
As their name suggests, they feature vivid red or orange shells adorned with two bold black spots. They are also natural predators of destructive pests like aphids and scale insects, which makes them an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical pesticides.
The Seven-Spotted Ladybug, or Sevenspotted Lady Beetle, originates from Europe and is now a common resident in gardens and parks. Humans have brought ladybugs to various regions to control aphid populations; they feed on aphids while patrolling plant stems and leaves.
These beneficial insects’ red forewings feature three black spots each, with an additional spot straddling the wings' junction, lending to its common and scientific name.
Moreover, Seven-Spotted Ladybugs start as eggs, transform into larvae, morph into pupas, and finally emerge as adult ladybeetles. During winter, they enter a dormant phase, called diapause, and huddle together in large clusters, waiting for spring.
Ladybugs, also called Ladybird Beetles or lady beetles, display striking colors, from red and black to a mosaic of yellows, oranges, and pinks. These colors warn predators that these beetles are not an easy target2.
There are approximately 6,000 species of ladybugs worldwide. North America alone is home to nearly 500 of them.
These hardy insects have adapted to various environments, including cities, suburbs, grasslands, agricultural fields, riverbanks, and forests.
One of their most impressive abilities is their knack for regulating pest populations, particularly aphids. A single beetle can consume up to 5,000 aphids over its lifetime. Interestingly, the larvae of these beetles are also predatory.
However, Ladybird Beetles presents some challenges. For example, the Harlequin Ladybird has disrupted the ecosystem and displaced native species.
Although they do not pose a significant threat to humans, they may bite or release a pungent yellow fluid when threatened.
The Seven-Spotted Ladybug, or Sevenspotted Lady Beetle, originates from Europe and is now a common resident in gardens and parks. Humans have brought ladybugs to various regions to control aphid populations; they feed on aphids while patrolling plant stems and leaves.
These beneficial insects’ red forewings feature three black spots each, with an additional spot straddling the wings' junction, lending to its common and scientific name.
Moreover, Seven-Spotted Ladybugs start as eggs, transform into larvae, morph into pupas, and finally emerge as adult ladybeetles. During winter, they enter a dormant phase, called diapause, and huddle together in large clusters, waiting for spring.
The Two-Spotted Ladybug is native to the Palearctic region, which includes Europe, North Africa, and Northern Arabia. Humans have introduced them to North America's gardens and parks.
As their name suggests, they feature vivid red or orange shells adorned with two bold black spots. They are also natural predators of destructive pests like aphids and scale insects, which makes them an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical pesticides.
The Convergent Ladybug, or Convergent Lady Beetle, is a native species of North America known for its distinctive markings, two white lines merging on its thorax. These white lines are unique to each individual, while the 12 to 13 black spots on its forewings resemble constellations.
Like many other ladybug species, they are tiny agricultural soldiers. Their primary food source is aphids and other soft-bodied insects; they are nature's pest controllers. The Convergent Ladybug can live in crop fields, forests, and grasslands as long as there is a plentiful supply of aphids.
These predatory species lay their eggs on the underside of leaves, often near aphid colonies, which serve as a food source for their young ones. Lady beetle eggs usually are spindle-shaped and yellow to orange-red.
The Thirteen-Spotted Ladybug lives in wetland habitats across the North Hemisphere. Its red or orange forewings are adorned with thirteen black spots.
Their diet helps maintain the balance of gardens and agricultural landscapes. During winter, the beetle hibernates with others of its kind under leaf litter or in other hidden areas, waiting for spring to resume its work.
The Fourteen-Spotted Ladybug is native to Europe but can also live in North America and Asia. It has yellow or pale white wings with 14 black spots that often create complex patterns.
Gardeners and farmers appreciate the insect as a natural pest control agent because it feeds on aphid species. However, it is less efficient than other ladybugs due to its small size and slower feeding habits.
The Pine Ladybird has a black coat with four red spots. This beetle has become an adventurous species, crossing continents to live in pine forests and plantations in North America.
This type of ladybug showcases a nearly circular, glossy shape with a base flange. Typically, its black wing cover displays two prominent red spots and two smaller ones, which may be orange or yellow.
They control scale insects that damage pine trees. Female Pine Ladybirds lay eggs among these pests to ensure their hatchlings have an abundant food source upon hatching.
The Mealybug Ladybird originates from Australia but is now present in parts of Europe and North America. This unique ladybug has a spotless dark brown wing cover, while the rest of the body is orange-brown. It feeds on destructive scale insects, especially mealybugs.
Moreover, the ladybird larvae are covered in waxy filaments, which makes them look similar to the mealybugs they eat. This disguise also helps them avoid becoming prey for other predators.
One interesting fact about ladybugs is that not all are red with black spots. There are about 6,000 species of ladybugs worldwide, spread across various areas.
Generally, the most common ladybug or lady beetle is the one with red and black hues. This is the seven-spotted ladybug, a native species to Europe. Apart from the seven spotted ladybugs and seven spotted lady beetle, you'll also find ladybugs in nearly all bright colors of the rainbow. We have red and black beetles and some ladybugs in pink, orange, brown, yellow, and black hues.
The ladybug’s body can also be an ashy gray or dull brown color. Apart from differences in ladybug hues, their patterns also vary. Spotted ladybugs tend to be the most popular. However, some of these insects have stripes, while others have no pattern at all.
This one is rather an unusual fact; however, have you ever wondered where the ‘lady’ comes from in their name? We can trace this to the legend of the Middle Ages.
According to the story, European crops were plagued by pests during this period. Due to this unforeseen incident, the farmers began praying to the blessed lady, Virgin Mary, to save their crops.
Soon after, they began seeing beneficial ladybugs and noticed their crops were saved. The ladybugs were eating all the aphids and other damaging insect species. Rooted in gratitude, the farmers started referring to these beetles or insect-eating birds as “our lady’s birds” or “our lady’s beetles.” In Germany, people refer to them as Marienkafer, meaning Mary beetles.
Read more about what people have to say about these intriguing little insects in our list of ladybug quotes.
