Asian Lady Beetle Facts & Information

What You Can Do

Asian lady beetles are a problem for homeowners when they move inside our homes and other structures seeking a protected site to overwinter and then when they decide to once again move outdoors as the weather warms in the spring. The following proactive and control actions are also useful prevention methods:

Proactive Measures – keeping them outside

• Seal gaps and cracks where lady beetles may enter the structure. Pay close attention to areas such as siding, doors, windows, chimneys, ridge, soffit, and gable vents and openings around pipes, conduit, and utility wires.

• Repair or replace damaged window or door screens.

Control Measures – getting rid of those inside

• The first thing to do when dealing with ladybug beetles is to contact your pest management professional (PMP) and request an inspection. Your PMP will correctly identify the pest insect(s) and provide a plan for dealing with the problem.

• Some other effective and safe methods to deal with lady beetles are:

  • Use a HEPA filter vacuum. Be sure to empty the vacuum bag after using it.

  • Use a broom, sweep the insects into a dustpan or other container, and put them outdoors.

  • Use insect light traps in locations that stay relatively dark and attractive to ladybug beetles such as attics.

What Orkin Does

Your local Orkin Pro is trained to help manage Asian lady beetles and similar pests. Since every building or home is different, your Orkin Pro will design a unique beetle treatment program for your situation. For instance, your PMP may apply insecticides at the right time of the year to control the pests before they get inside your home.

Orkin can provide the right solution to keep Asian lady beetles in their place…out of your home, or business.

Appearance

• Size: Multicolored Asian lady beetles are about 7 mm long.

• Color: As the name indicates, they occur in a wide spectrum of colors ranging from yellow to orange to red and have a varying number of spots.

• Characteristics: The variability of appearance in the adults can mislead people to think they are different species. A characteristic that assists in their identification is an “M” shaped mark located behind the head.

Diet

The adults and larvae of most Asian lady beetles are predators of:

• Aphids

• Mealybugs

• Scale insects

Habitat

Multicolored Asian lady beetles are common throughout most of the United States and parts of Canada. There are many specie, and most are beneficial insects. Plant specialists imported several species of lady beetles into the United States to control crop pests.

Life Cycle

There are about 5,000 species of Asian lady beetles worldwide, so depending on the species and habitat, there is a large variation in this insect’s life cycle. For example, some lady beetles are predators, while others are plant feeders. However, all lady beetles undergo complete metamorphosis – four distinct life stages.

1. Egg Stage: Females lay eggs in clusters on the underside of a plant leaf or twig. Generally, the female will choose a plant that is infested with their prey – aphids or scales. Eggs are laid during the spring and early summer. One fertile female can produce up to 1,000 eggs, and eggs hatch in about five days.

2. Larval Stage: Larvae have been described as looking like very tiny alligators. If predators, the larvae feed upon their prey insects and may often consume some of the un-hatched eggs if prey is scarce. The larvae go through four instars, molting and becoming larger at each instar stage. The larval stage takes about 1-2 weeks to complete.

3. Pupal Stage: This is the insect’s resting stage when it goes through the transformation into an adult. Depending on the species and the environmental conditions, the pupal stage lasts about 3-12 days.

4. Adult Stage: Newly emerged adults feed on the same prey as the larvae and remain active until the weather turns cold when they seek protected overwintering sites. Depending on the species and location, Asian lady beetles produce from one to several generations per year.

Lifespan

These pests take around one month to grow from egg to adult and can live for as long as about three years.

More Information

Lady Bug Traps

Lady Bug Infestations