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What Crops Do Ladybugs Like?

Ladybug or ladybeetle is an insect with a special pair of tough, leather-like wings. The wings, elytra, open when the beetle flies and this give room for another pair of wings to flutter. There are red, yellow, orange, gray, black, brown and even pink ladybugs. The average lifespan in the wild is between two to three years and during its life, it consumes a wide range of insects and plants.

Ladybugs and Aphids
- There are about 5,000 different species and some species are considered pests. The ladybugs are popular among farmers, who like their appetite for aphids. Aphids feed on plant juices and they are destructive insect pests on cultivated plants. A ladybug can eat around 50 aphids a day and its larvae can eat hundreds of aphids every day. The larvae are black and yellow with small spikes. Ladybugs also feed on scale insects and mealybugs. The ladybug is not a true bug and scientists prefer the name beetle.
Beans and Legumous Plants
- The Mexican bean beetle, or Epilachna varivestis, eats the leaves, flowers and pods of beans. This ladybug has eight spots on each pair of wings and prefers beans such as snap beans and lima beans. It also likes other plants, for example, peas, lentils, soybeans, clover, alfalfa and peanuts. Most damage is done to the leaves and both the larva and the beetle will feed upon crops. It is a pest, which likes moisture and wet conditions and areas where moisture is added to fields by irrigation often become infected in drier areas.
Squash
- Crops such as cucumbers, melons, vegetable marrow, pumpkins, watermelons can be damaged by the squash beetle, or Epilachna chrysomelina. This ladybug is found in Asia, Africa, and southern Europe and both the adult and the larva cause damage. The young plants are vulnerable to attacks, yet, an established plant can tolerate the leaf damage. There are concerns that this beetle will be imported to North America by mistake.
Berries and Fruits
- Citrus fruits crops attract aphids and the Vedalia ladybug, or rodolia cardinalis, is
  
  a valuable biological control agent. This ladybug is adundant in the fall when it feeds on insects attacking the fruits. The Asian ladybug, or Harmonia axyridis, is also known as the Japanese or Harlequin Ladybug. This beetle helps to reduce the aphids on crops such as pecan nuts, fruits, berries and soybean. However, the beetle has become a pest in certain areas. This beetle has damaged crops such as tender fruits and grapes. The Asian ladybug alters the taste of wine produced on contaminated grapes.

Insects & Science