Those aren't proper "ladybugs"

Those of you who will be interested in this thread know exactly what I'm talking about, right about now.

They are "Multicolored Asian Lady Beetles" or harmonia axyridis

Ladybug:



Asian Lady Beetle:



They both do about the same thing -- eat aphids. They both bite, harmlessly. The difference is that the Asian lady beetle has a couple less than ladylike habits -- it really likes to crawl into cracks when it gets cold, which means it will often end up in your house, and when threatened it releases a tiny gob of foul smelling liquid that can stain things. They are around in great numbers right now because they are looking for a place to winter, and in some cases, because they have been chased out of their "homes" by the harvest.

Mostly harmless. Just annoying.

Here's some links -- the first one has a foolproof way to tell them apart.

http://www.ipm.msu.edu/beetleFAQ.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccinellidae
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonia_axyridis

...and some ladybug nut who is quite good with a camera :-):

http://news.deviantart.com/article/30550/

It was warm again in Minneapolis. Those little buggers are agressive!

I have some that have fallen and picked one up to see if it was a good one and a bunch of lady bugs were on the underside of it just chowing down.

having an ecologically balanced household. Of course you hafta learn to live w/ the bitching of the M-I-L when she visits about the cobweb you allow to persist in one corner of every room of the house...

The Asian ones just aren't as pretty.

You'd look up to the ceiling and it was polka-dotted! They'd fly into everything. But this year, I have seen maybe about 15 or so, and I'm wondering what the reason is behind the change in numbers.Odd, indeed. It was much drier this year, so maybe that's it.

And those little buggers BITE.

About 3 years ago, we had even more. I found a "colony" of them (~300) clustered on a beam in my garage attic.

...They are just trying to figure out whether you are food or not. :-)

It was a ladybug, but strangely colored.

I live in midtown Manhattan.

annually. I have always assumed they were the non-Asian variety but never looked all that closely. Fortunately they are predominantly on the outside of my windows. Seems to be an early-to-midsummer occurrence. I'm very high up --- 24th floor --- so those ladies can fly!

I'm sorry you have them, but at least I'm not alone. I've been battling fruit flies lately. I think I've killed most of them, but now Asian ladybugs.

I feel besieged.

I thought mine was strange colors, but then I read about the Asian ladybugs here at DU.

Meanwhile, thanks for that article. Fascinating, and a wonderful idea. I think ladybugs are useful.

Had mine been a regular red and black ladybug, it wouldn't be so bad. I went to read about the Asian ladybug, and it says they "bleed" a yellow liquid from the legs that smells bad and stains.

I hope the one I found was the only one.


P.S. I went to the link you gave, and someone mentioned dragonflies. That reminds me. I had a huge dragonfly several years ago. Only one, and fortunately, none since.

person bugs.