Asian Lady Beetle: Friend or Foe?

The Asian lady beetle is both a beloved friend and a potential foe, depending on where you are. Let’s take a closer look at this bug’s life cycle, how to differentiate it from other ladybug types, how it helps in gardens, and the problems it can sometimes create.

They have the “M” marking

The Asian lady beetle is a notorious species of all ladybug types. This insect is also known by various names like harlequin lady beetle, multicolored Asian lady beetle, southern lady beetle, Chinese/Japanese lady beetle, Halloween lady beetle, multivariate lady beetle, and pumpkin lady beetle. It’s also called orange ladybug or fake ladybug.

These ladybugs are small, about 4 to 7 millimeters long, and oval-shaped. They can look quite different from one another. Some may be yellow-orange, while others are black. Most of them have 19 black spots on their wings, but some have fewer or none at all. Their legs are light brown. People often confuse them with other types of ladybugs, like the Polished Lady Beetle or the Seven-spotted Lady Beetle.

But there’s a trick to telling them apart! Look for a white mark on the base of their head. It might look like a “W” or an “M.” This mark can be thick or thin. Also, unlike other ladybugs that are round, these are more oval-shaped and a bit longer.

Asian lady beetle habitat

The Asian lady beetle originally comes from eastern Asia. It was brought to the United States in the late 1970s and early 1980s to help control pests like aphids and scale insects.

Since then, it has spread to many places around the world, including North America, Europe, South America, and Africa. The insect can be found in lots of different places, like fields, orchards, forests, and even houses, especially in the winter when they’re looking for warmth. However, in Asia, they like to live in trees.

Diet

Asian lady beetles are helpful bugs in farms because they control these pests by eating them. These species mainly eat small insects like aphids, scale insects, and mealybugs, which can harm crops and plants. Each larvae can eat up to 600 to 1,200 aphids while growing up. And when they’re grown-ups, they can chomp down on over 100 aphids every single day. That’s a lot of munching! But when they can’t find enough of their usual food, they might eat fruits, plant nectar, or even other insects and their eggs, like the eggs of other ladybug species.

These orange ladybugs are eaten by many predators like birds, frogs, dragonflies, fire ants, or praying mantises. To against these enemies, they use many cool defense mechanisms, which you can see here.

They have annoyed behaviors

This fake ladybug is great for keeping pests in check, but it can also be a bit of a bother, especially in the fall. It has this thing called “overwintering,” where it looks for cozy spots to hang out during winter. They like warm places, so they often gather in big groups on the sunny sides of buildings, especially those with lots of light and dark spots. They’re attracted to light, so they end up on buildings that get afternoon sun.

When they sneak inside buildings, they like to hide in nooks and crannies, trying to stay warm for the winter. You might find them in attics, walls, and other hidden spots. When it starts to warm up in late winter or early spring, they start to be active again, trying to find their way to get back outside.

Asian lady beetles can be a bother for homeowners because they release a smelly, orange liquid when they’re disturbed, which can stain things and cause allergies for some people. They might also bite, but don’t worry, their bites aren’t poisonous and won’t make you sick. However, these ladybugs can make your dogs and cats sick if they eat a bunch of them. They might get mouth and tummy irritation, and maybe diarrhea. But it’s not common for pets to eat a lot because the beetles taste bad. If you think your pet ate a lot of these beetles, it’s best to see a vet.

The good news is, these invasive species don’t reproduce inside your house, they don’t munch on wood, food, or clothes, and they don’t pose any real danger to your health.

If you want to get rid of Asian lady beetles, here are some tips you can try.

Reproduction

Asian lady beetles continuously breed throughout their lives. To find mates nearby, they rely on their vision. But if no potential mate is close, they release pheromones to attract one. The females are picky about their mates, often choosing based on the color of the male’s elytra. These bad beetles mainly practice polygynandry in mating. This means both males and females seek multiple partners and mate several times each year.

After mating, the females lay eggs in small masses that resemble pale footballs. They can lay more than 1,600 eggs in their lifetime.

The life cycle of Asian lady beetles contains four main stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.

• Egg: The eggs are small, bright yellow, and shaped like ovals, measuring about 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) in length. They are usually found in groups under leaves, with around 20 eggs together.
• Larvae: The caterpillars look like small alligators, usually black or grey with orange-red markings on their bellies. They have bumpy skin and spiky parts that look like branches, which can be black or orange. These larvae go through four stages before they turn into a pupa. If there’s not enough food around, these caterpillars might start eating each other or other types of beetles.

• Pupa: These larvae don’t make cocoons; they just pupate under leaves.
• Adult: Adults have a dome-shaped top, a flat bottom, and look round when seen from above. They’re pretty small, about 1/4 inch long and 1/5 inch wide. There are many types of them, with different spots and colors, ranging from yellow to red, and they might have up to 19 black spots. You’ll notice a white border around the edge of their top part, called the prothorax, often forming an M or W shape.

Their life cycle, from egg to adult back to egg, takes about three to four weeks, depending on how warm it is and how much food they have. The lifespan of Asian lady beetle adults is about 30 to 90 days, though some individuals can live up to 3 years.

Reference: animalspot.net