Squash Lady Beetle

Description:

These beetles were approximately 6-7mm long. They were orange and had seven large black spots on each elytron and four small black spots on the pronotum.

Habitat:

I spotted two of these beetles in an organic backyard garden. The only pest control measures applied in this garden are hand picking and application of neem oil.

Notes:

Both adults and larvae of this species start feeding by creating a trench around the leaf tissue that they intend to consume. The trench is thought to reduce the plants ability to excrete sap and chemicals that would hinder feeding. The adults consume all of the leaf tissue except for the small veins and create a skeletonized pattern in their feeding patch.