The convergent lady beetle indigenous to parts of North America is one of the commonest in the lady beetles family. Since they mostly feed on aphids, this beetle species is used biologically to control these pests.
Size: Male – 7.8 mm (0.30 inches); Female – 5.8 mm (0.20 inches)
Color: They have orange or bright red elytra, with six spots on each col3. However, these spots could vary from one species to another, less in some and too many in others. Their prothorax appears white, having two converging lines also of the same color.
Other Characteristic Features: The convergent lady beetles have an elongated, oval body with short legs and antennae, the latter being clubbed.
The black larva has orange spots on its abdomen and prothorax resembling miniature alligators. They go through four instars, and just before they mature into a pupa, their size increases to about 7 mm (0.27 inches). At this point, the orange spots on their body also increase to a greater extent.
The pupa is hemispherical, with a black and orange coloration. The pupal phase continues for up to a week. Mating starts as soon after the adult emerges from the cocoon.
The female lays about 200 – 300, mostly during the spring-early summer span. The small, sized spindle-shaped eggs appear yellow.
| Adult lifespan | Approximately nine months |
| Duration of larval stage | One month |
| Distribution | North America, Central America, and South America’s Colombia |
| Habitat | Grasslands, agricultural fields, forests, natural parks, gardens |
| Common Predators | Fungi |
| Host Plants | Cotton, melon, cabbage, corn, peach potato, and other crops where aphids inhabit |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Larvae: Mostly aphids Adults: Nectar, pollen honeydew, petals, and the plant’s soft portion in the case of scarcity of aphids |
They do not cause damage, instead they are used as biological control agents to eat up the aphids infesting and destroying crops.
Image Source: a4.pbase.com, americaninsects.net, entomology.k-state.edu, bugguide.net, lh3.googleusercontent.com,
The convergent lady beetle indigenous to parts of North America is one of the commonest in the lady beetles family. Since they mostly feed on aphids, this beetle species is used biologically to control these pests.
Size: Male – 7.8 mm (0.30 inches); Female – 5.8 mm (0.20 inches)
Color: They have orange or bright red elytra, with six spots on each col3. However, these spots could vary from one species to another, less in some and too many in others. Their prothorax appears white, having two converging lines also of the same color.
Other Characteristic Features: The convergent lady beetles have an elongated, oval body with short legs and antennae, the latter being clubbed.
The black larva has orange spots on its abdomen and prothorax resembling miniature alligators. They go through four instars, and just before they mature into a pupa, their size increases to about 7 mm (0.27 inches). At this point, the orange spots on their body also increase to a greater extent.
The pupa is hemispherical, with a black and orange coloration. The pupal phase continues for up to a week. Mating starts as soon after the adult emerges from the cocoon.
The female lays about 200 – 300, mostly during the spring-early summer span. The small, sized spindle-shaped eggs appear yellow.
| Adult lifespan | Approximately nine months |
| Duration of larval stage | One month |
| Distribution | North America, Central America, and South America’s Colombia |
| Habitat | Grasslands, agricultural fields, forests, natural parks, gardens |
| Common Predators | Fungi |
| Host Plants | Cotton, melon, cabbage, corn, peach potato, and other crops where aphids inhabit |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Larvae: Mostly aphids Adults: Nectar, pollen honeydew, petals, and the plant’s soft portion in the case of scarcity of aphids |
They do not cause damage, instead they are used as biological control agents to eat up the aphids infesting and destroying crops.
Image Source: a4.pbase.com, americaninsects.net, entomology.k-state.edu, bugguide.net, lh3.googleusercontent.com,
