37 Seven-spotted Ladybug

Anatis mali

Characteristics

Length: 0.24–0.31 in (6–8 mm).

Flight season: March–October.

Nectar sources: Many flowers.

Habitat: Forest edge, meadows, parks, gardens.

Everyone is familiar with bright, shiny, red ladybugs, and most gardeners know that they are “friends” because of their voracious appetite for aphids. What is less well known is that they also eat nectar and pollen, so play a role in pollinating many plants. The seven-spotted ladybug (or ladybird) is one of about 6,000 species. It is native to Eurasia and has become established in North America, having been introduced to tackle aphid populations. It has a tiny black head, a black thorax with two white spots, and seven black spots on its red wing covers, or elytra. The bright coloration is off-putting for predators, and ladybugs can also emit a foul-tasting fluid when threatened.

The seven-spotted ladybug’s reputation as an aphid-killer is not exaggerated. Its eggs are laid near aphid colonies, and when they hatch, the larvae eat about 500 aphids each in the three or four weeks before they pupate. After pupation, adults eat another 5,000 each. In fall, the year’s new generation of adults finds a suitable place to overwinter—in a hollow plant stem or under tree bark—ready to emerge again the following spring.