Multicolored Asian lady beetle

Description:

H. axyridis occurs in many color forms. Adults are strongly oval and convex, about 6 mm long, and 5 mm wide. North American populations have a mix of individuals ranging in color from pale yellow-orange to bright red-orange, with or without black spots on the wing covers. The head, antennae, and mouthparts are generally straw-yellow but are sometimes tinged with black. The pronotum is similarly straw-yellow with up to 5 black spots or with lateral spots usually joined to form 2 curved lines, an M-shaped mark, or a solid trapezoid. The wing covers are generally yellow-orange in unspotted beetles. In fully spotted beetles, each wing cover has 10 black spots (see photograph).

Habitat:

Wildlife habitat yard on Belton Lake.

Notes:

The multicolored Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis) is native to Asia but occurs in many areas of the United States. This beneficial insect was imported and released as early as 1916 in attempts to naturally control certain insect pests. But the first populations were not found in this country until 1988 in Louisiana near the busy port of New Orleans. This insect has a wider range of colors and spot numbers than other lady beetle species. Wings range from black to mustard; spots number zero to many. The most common U.S. form is mustard to red with 16 or more black.