Hobbies And Interests
Coccinella Septempunctata
The most familiar species of ladybug in North America is the seven-spotted ladybug, the Coccinella septempunctata. Sometimes referred to as the C-7, this species is native to Europe. Businesses brought it to North America to sell to farmers, since the insect likes to eat aphids, which destroy crops. The Coccinella septempunctata is round and dome-shaped with bright red wings, each dotted with seven spots.
Hippodamia Convergens
Another common ladybug species is the Hippodamia convergens, or the "classic California" convergent ladybug. They are native to California but have been used in vegetable gardens across America for over a hundred years. They eat all sorts of vegetable pests and caterpillars and will even eat each other if they are hungry. Oblong and orange, the Hippodamia has a black thorax (the section between the head and the wings) that is circled in white and has two white lines. The spots on their wings can come in all sorts of patterns.
Harmonia Axyridis
The Harmonia axyridis, or multicolored Asian ladybeetle, is one of the biggest types of ladybug. It can grow to more than a quarter of an inch long. They originated in Asia but were introduced to North America. By the 1980s, the insects were a common pest in the Midwest, attracted to light-colored surfaces, such as the sides of white houses, and attempting to overwinter in people's homes. This ladybug has five black spots on the top of its white thorax. Its wings might be yellow, orange or red, with or without spots.