How can I tell a multi-colored Asian lady beetle apart from the ladybugs (or lady beetles) most of us are familiar with in Michigan?
This can be a little confusing because multi-colored Asian lady beetles are highly variable. While they all have the same shape they do not all share the same coloration and pattern of black dot marks. The color of their wing covers range from pumpkin-orange to mustard-yellow and even jet-black. They may have no black spots or as many as 20 of the ebony polka dots. In Michigan, the vast majority seem to be mustard-yellow and the number of spots range from zero to eighteen. Despite the wide variation in background color and number of spots, they all share a distinguishing mark on their pronotum. Viewing the beetle from it’s topside, the pronotum is that small section that separates the head area from the abdomen (where the wing covers start). There is a mark on the pronotum that looks like a “W” or “M” depending upon whether you are looking at it from the front or rear. All multi-colored Asian lady beetles have this mark that domestic ladybugs lack.
Related Questions
- How can I tell a multi-colored Asian lady beetle apart from the ladybugs (or lady beetles) most of us are familiar with in Michigan?
- Why do so many multi-colored Asian lady beetles show up in and on my house in the fall and sometimes -- lasting right into spring?
- Do Asian Lady Beetles harm clothing or structures?
