Harmonia conformis (Boisduval 1835)

The female ladybug will lay its eggs in a colonies of aphids, on the bottom of a leaf. The larvae will hatch out after 4 days. The larva will eat 200 aphids and in 4 weeks the larva will attach its body to a leaf and will turn into a pupa. After 1 week the pupa opens and turns into an adult ladybug.

Lady birds might look cute, but ladybirds were found by early Australian farmers to be lethal killers ‚ of crop pests, that is. One such predator is a ladybird known as the mealybug ladybird, Cryptolaemus montroutizieri. These lay their eggs in the egg masses of common pest insects such as mealybugs. When the larval ladybirds hatch out, they immediately set about eating the mealybug eggs. As adults, ladybirds will also feed on both eggs and larvae of these pests.

Currently,ladybirds are even being used to control insect pests in eucalypt plantations. They feed on the immature stage of the Eucalyptus leaf beetle. The results suggest tree plantations could benefit from the release of ladybirds early in the season when pests are laying eggs.

The Lady bird was originally found in Austrailia and the name was changed by americans to the common name lady bug. The ladybird beetle is also native to temperate and subtropical parts of Asia. Since 1916 populations of this species have been introduced throughout the world, either deliberately, or by accident through international transport. A primary habitat for the bettle is a garden environment because undeveloped larve need a relative large amount of food before they can become an adult ladybird.

The Common Spotted Ladybird is a medium sized orange ladybird. It has 23 large black spots on the wing covers. The larvae is black when they hatch and go through four stages of development (instars) before pupating. The larvae have two yellow bands round the abdomen after the second instar.

Size
8mm

Habitat
common in gardens

Food
Both adults and larvae eat small insects such as aphids, scale insects and mites.

Breeding
Common Spotted Ladybirds lay eggs on food plants. The eggs hatch into carnivorous larvae, then pupate into oval pupae before hatching out as adults.



Classification
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Coccinellidae
Genus: Harmonia
Species: conformis
Common Name: Common Spotted Ladybird

Relatives in same Genus
Tortoise-shelled Ladybird "H. testudinaria"

Benefit(s): The Asian Ladybird Beetle is beneficial for most of the year; it has contributed to a decrease in pesticide use on many crops and in orchards.

Threat(s): Asian Ladybird Beetles are anecdotally suspected to be responsible for a decrease in the numbers of native beneficial insects through predation and by elimination of scarce prey, although this has not been scientifically proven. On a lesser “threat” level, the beetles seek shelter for overwintering, and when a location is found, they emit an "aggregating pheromone" to attract other beetles. Often, they choose a human home and gather in the dozens, hundreds or thousands. They remain in that location through the winter, annoying humans with their numbers, smell, and biting. The yellow, odorous defensive compound may also stain furniture, carpets and draperies.

Original Distribution: Southeast Asia


By 1994, the beetle was commonly found throughout the continental U.S. and Canada.

Between the late 1910’s and the mid-1970's, there were several planned and accidental introductions to the U.S., with no survival. Many planned releases across the eastern U.S. in the late 1970's and early 1980's were attempts to use the beetles to help control aphids and scales. After years without a sighting, the beetle was seen in Louisiana in 1988. Whether this final, successful colonization was due to a planned release or an accidental introduction is under debate.