This week the Master Gardeners found a whole herd of lady beetles in the demonstration garden.  Beetles or other insects are not always a fun find in the garden, but lady beetles are a good friend to have.

Did you know there are more than 450 different species of lady beetles in North America, and more than 5,000 worldwide?  They come in all sizes and color patterns.  The twice-stabbed lady beetle is black except for two red spots, and the spotted lady beetle is dark pink with large black spots.  The multicolored Asian lady beetle is a bright yellow color with black spots.  They look so cheerful and happy!

Lady beetles are very beneficial in the garden because they eat aphids, scale insects, mites, caterpillar eggs, and other soft-bodied insects.  Some vegetable growers purchase lady beetles and release them on a particularly bad infestation of aphids.  This works well until the lady beetles decide the aphids look tastier on the other side of the fence.

Lady beetles are true beetles in the Order Coleoptera because they have chewing mouth parts, go through a complete metamorphosis, and have the first pair of wings hardened to protect the body and hind wings.  Bugs, on the other hand, are in the Order Hemiptera and have sucking mouth parts, a gradual metamorphosis, and have the first pair of wings partly hard and partly transparent.

Female lady beetles lay yellow oval-shaped eggs in clusters near infestations of aphids or other pests.  Sometimes you can spot the eggs sitting on a leaf in a little cluster. Larvae hatch and go through several molts until they pupate.  The process from egg to adult takes two to three weeks.  I have to admit, lady beetles do not have cute larvae, but the adult “ladybugs” make up for it!

Enjoy the spring weather by doing a little scouting for lady beetles this spring.  It’s always fun to find a beneficial friend in the garden.  For more information about garden and landscape questions, contact Kate Whitney, Horticulture Extension Agent, at 512-943-3300.