Lady beetles

Beneficial

Lady beetles

2-spotted lady beetle: Adalia bipunctata (L.)7-spotted lady beetle: Coccinella septempunctata L.14-spotted lady beetle: Propylea quatuordecimpunctata L.Multicolored Asian lady beetle (Halloween beetle): Harmonia axyridis (Pallas)

Coleoptera: Coccinellidae

Photos

Seven-spotted lady beetle: Oval, convex, often brightly colored with seven spots.

Seven-spotted lady beetle: Oval, convex, often brightly colored with seven spots. Charles Vincent, Ag. & Agri-Food Canada
B

Adults are oval and convex in shape, often brightly colored (e.g., orange-red or yellow) and usually with black spots or marks on their wing covers (A, 2-spotted; B, 7-spotted), sometimes with a checkerboard appearance (C, 14-spotted). H. axyridis is one of the largest lady beetles present in apple orchards and the most voracious; they have an orange tint that may vary from dark to very faint. The number of spots can vary from none to 20 (D, E, F). Lady beetle larvae resemble small alligators [e.g., 7-spotted has a black head and is bluish gray with yellow spots, (G)]. Eggs are laid in masses (10–50) on the undersides of leaves, on fruit, and often close to aphid colonies. Note: Lady beetles are sensitive to most broad-spectrum insecticides.

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