Multicolored Asian Lady beetles Prepared by: Jim Jasinski Integrated Pest Management Program

1. Multicolored Asian Lady beetles Prepared by: Jim JasinskiIntegrated Pest Management Program

2. Common Lady Beetles

3. Beneficial attributes of all Lady beetles • Adults & larvae are generalist predators • Feed on aphids, scale insects, mites, and other insects (some pollen & nectaries) • All of the above pests damage agricultural crops, home, garden, and landscape plantings • One form of biological control

4. Lady beetle life cycle-eggs

5. Lady beetle life cycle-larva

6. Lady beetle life cycle-pupa

7. MALB AdultsEggs to Adult ca. 30 days “M” on thorax

8. Life of a MALB… • Spring-Awake from winter nap (diapause), actively move from shelter to outside • Summer-Find food, find a mate, reproduce. There may be several generations per year with a larger proportion of later generations predisposed to over wintering. • Fall-Triggered by shorter days and cooler temps., aggregation behavior toward structures begins on warmer days, diapause

9. Color variation of beetles • Red color due to high quality of food eaten as larva, i.e., lots of tasty aphids • Yellowish color due to fewer aphids consumed but more pollen as a larva

10. Spot variation of beetles • More spots, lower temperature and a longer duration of pupa stage • Fewer spots, higher temperature and a shorter duration of pupa stage

11. Where are MALB from?Native to Asia… Russia Korea Japan

12. Importing MALB into the U.S. USDA-Agriculture Research Service Release Program Purpose: Biological control of pecan aphids and other tree pests.

13. Importing MALB into the U.S. 1978-1982

14. USDA-Agriculture Research ServiceMALB -Release Records Beneficial Insect Introduction Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Newark, DE. Release information in computer data banks, 1992.

15. USDA-Agriculture Research ServiceMALB -Release Records Beneficial Insect Introduction Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Newark, DE. Release information in computer data banks. 1992.

16. USDA-Agriculture Research ServiceMALB -Release Records

17. Good beetle, nasty habit • In Asia, they over winter in cracks and crevices of rock faces and cliffs • In America, where rock faces and cliffs are not readily available, they congregate and over winter in houses and other man made structures

18. Ladybug, Ladybug fly away…

19. Lady beetle overload!!!

20. First Frost Date

21. Key MALB Factoids • Up to 20% of the beetles are 3 years old • 3 year old females can still lay eggs • Around 50% of over wintering beetles are male (50% are female) • MALB’s can fly when temps reach 500F; aggregation flights begin around 650F

22. Key MALB Factoids • Beetles tend to orient toward tall(est) structure in the area, i.e., house, tower, top of a hill, etc. • Aggregations in structures tend to be correlated with wooded areas • Presence of a sex attractant or aggregation pheromone has not been identified for these beetles • Speculated that beetle feces or dead bodies attract live beetles to area

23. MALB - FAQ Q: Do they bite people? A: They occasionally do bite. It feels like a severe pinch, but shouldn’t break the skin or draw blood.

24. MALB - FAQ Q: Do they carry disease? A: No, but there have been indications that either their bodies, hemolymph, or feces can be allergenic.

25. MALB - FAQ Q: Where they were released from helicopters? A: No. They were ground released at the various locations.

26. MALB - FAQ Q: Do the beetles reproduce in the attic or house over the winter? A: No. Males and females spend the winter in diapause (resting); the females are unmated.

27. MALB - FAQ Q: Do the beetles feed on wood or other house materials when over wintering? A: No, they rely upon fat stored up in their body to hold them over for the winter.

28. For more information… http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ipm/