Certified Master Naturalist, Janice Walker, sends this report on the Invasion of the Lady Beetles. And yes, the Lost Ladybug Project is already part of the project: Citizen Science: Insects!
Lady Beetle Day Janice
Walker 10/24/2020
Tis the season for conspiracy theories, so let us talk about
the adorable Asian Lady Beetles. One claim is these beetles were released by
Virginia Tech as a way to control the stinkbug population (stinkbugs have their
own conspiracy theory). This is false according to Eric Day, of Virginia
Cooperative Extension’s Insect Identification Laboratory in Blacksburg. Other claims
are they were created and released by the Department of Natural Resources,
Michigan State University, or chemical companies. And as conspiracy theories
go, I am sure there are more.
The Multicolored Asian lady beetles (MALB) were introduced
in the South between 1916 and 1985, (which is a long introduction time) as a
way to control the aphids on the pecan trees. It was proven they had little to
no effect on the aphid population. However, these beetles have found they have
an appetite for the soybean aphid. They were first detected in Virginia in
1993.
“Lady Beetle Day” is the first warm day after October 15th.
Lady Beetle Day at my house was October 20, 2020. There was a time when I enjoyed
lady bugs/beetles. Not anymore. This time every year they swarm the southwest
side of my home. They always find a way in my, cabinets, drawers, light
fixtures, refrigerator, corners and into the occasional trail mix, much to my husbands’
shock. We have learned to keep the inside of our house dark and cold. This
seems to deter them somewhat. Our house is old with lots of little spaces for
these pests to come in for the winter.
The ladybugs or lady beetles that I remember from my childhood
or from the ones I bought and released in my garden in southern California are
still not native to North America. They were first introduced in the 1950’s to
control aphids. Known as Coccinella septempunctata or the seven spotted ladybug or the Ladybird
of Europe. These lady beetles decreased in the mid-80’s about the same time
as the arrival of the Multicolored Asian lady beetles and changes to
agricultural land use.
Coccinella novemnotata,
the nine-spotted ladybug or nine-spotted lady beetle, is a
species of ladybug that is native to North America. The nine-spotted ladybug is
the state insect of New York since 1989. Thought to be extinct with the numbers
declining due to the introduction of the seven-spotted lady bug and the
Multicolored Asian lady beetles, the nine-spotted lady bug was found in
Virginia in 2006 (the first sighting in 14 years).
Needless to say, seal those cracks
and crevices. Keep out the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle and be on the lookout
for the Coccinella novemnotata, the nine-spotted ladybug
or nine-spotted lady beetle.
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