Hobbies And Interests
The Ash Gray Ladybird Beetle
This ladybug is, as its name implies, gray, though it has spots on its elytra, or wing coverings. The pronotum is black. The pronotum is the hard upper plate on the insect's prothorax, the first of three body segments. The ash gray can also be yellow. It's found throughout North America and is from .118 to .24 inches long.
Casey's Ladybird Beetle
Casey's ladybird beetle, cycloneda polita, is a bit larger than the ash gray, from .16 to .2 inches long. The male's head is white and the female's head has a black spot in the middle. The elytra have no spots and are bright red, though there might be a bit of yellow on the edges. Casey's ladybird beetle is found in the Rocky Mountains west to the Pacific coast. It's closely related to the ladybugs cycloneda sanguinea and cycloneda munda, and the ranges of the three insects cover all of North America.
Nine Spotted Ladybird Beetle
The nine spotted ladybird beetle is larger than the Casey's, at .2 to .31 inches long. The head and pronotum are black, with pale yellow margins, and the wing covers are orange to orange red, and have four black spots each. The nine spotted is found throughout northern North America and south to Georgia and Texas.
Convergent Ladybird Beetle
The Convergent is .18 to .26 inches long. Its head, legs and pronotum are black and the elytra are bright red with six spots each. The adults and larvae can easily be found on the stems and foliage of plants eating aphids. In the fall the adults congregate to hibernate. When the temperature drops below freezing they crawl under boards, leaves and into crevices to overwinter. In the spring they emerge, mate and lay eggs.
Ladybug Pests
A few ladybugs are pests. Epilachna varivestis is a pest of beans, especially lima and snap beans. It's a straw colored beetle with eight spots and is about .24 to .28 inches long. Epilachna borealis is a pest of squash plants.