How To Tell the Difference Between Ladybugs And Asian Lady Beetles

Forbes ^ | 3/7/24 | Kristi Waterworth

[DallasBiff]

How to Tell the Difference Between Good Ladybugs and Bad Ladybugs

Ladybugs, also known as lady beetles or ladybirds, are members of the Coccinellidae family of insects. And, like in many families, there are both good and bad members. The good lady beetles help maintain order in the garden by eating pesty insects that would make a short meal out of plants otherwise. The bad lady beetles also do that, but then they crash in your attic, make a huge mess if you try to remove them, and invite all their friends along.

So, how can you tell the difference? Fortunately, many ladybugs are very distinct and don’t look anything like the multicolored Asian lady beetle (the black sheep of the family). Unfortunately, multicolored Asian lady beetles don’t always look that much like one another, which can make identification tricky.

[DallasBiff]

Well I'm not a gardener, but since I was a kid, I was told never kill a ladybug, they are good bugs.

Surprised the left, hasn't canceled them, or renamed the bug, (she/he/them).

[tnlibertarian]

Watch how they drive?

[Responsibility2nd]

How to Tell the Difference Between Good Ladybugs and Bad Ladybugs.

Bad Ladybugs are easy. "Good Ladybugs don't, but I do."

[nitzy]

We’ll be told that they need to be eradicated to fight climate change.

[x]

Asian Lady Bugs are lousy fliers.

[Red Badger]

That’s no lady!.......................

[llevrok]

The Asian lady beetles will invade your house - as did mine this spring!!.

I used “Harris Asian Lady Beetle and Box Elder Killer, Liquid Spray” which I heard about on YouTube and bought on Amazon. It kept them at bay until they decided outdoors was better than in my house

By the way - They stink when you squish them.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Their larvae also bite.

[xoxox]

don’t piss of the asian ones.

[Jim Noble]

The Asian Ladybeetles are good at math?

[xoxox]

^off

[Tell It Right]

Agreed. And the Asian lady bugs breed like Tribbles.

[Major Matt Mason]

American ladybugs are more orange in color. Marxist ladybugs are more copper-colored, or a darker orange.

[Jamestown1630]

Apparently one of the reasons this ‘bug’ is a problem in the US is because it has been purposely introduced to control aphids and other troublesome insects in some areas.

I guess every time we ‘fix’ something, we break something else...

[Carry_Okie]

Cool post.

[Nervous Tick]

I see what you did there. :-)

[Nervous Tick]

I have both kinds in my garden, and am grateful for each and every one of them.

House and garden are 400yds apart, so those bugs are not much of a threat.

[kinsman redeemer]

I laughed...
My wife didn’t.

It’s hard to roll over on the couch.

[frank ballenger]

I know I saw a news story that said a farmer introduced them to control crop pests and that was the origin. That story didn’t reappear. Must have been putting him in danger of anger from people. Or was false and he was just one of the farmers doing it.

[Bobalu]

Those Asian beetles are numerous here.

They introduced them for some odd reason..

They manage to get into the house in large numbers no matter how well you seal windows and doors.