The multicolored Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis), has become common throughout the United States and all of Iowa.It is well known for the annoying habit of accumulating on the sides of buildings and wandering indoors during the fall.
What Are Multi-Colored Asian Lady Beetles? The multi-colored Asian lady beetle is a species of beetle that spends much of their time living on and on feeding trees, fruits, and other crops or plants; as their name suggests they are a native species of eastern Asia.
Multicolored Asian lady beetles are slightly larger than native lady beetles, with adults measuring 9/32 inch (7 mm) long and 7/32 inch (5.5 mm) wide. They are oval or convex in shape, and yellow to red in color (with or without black spots on the wing covers).
Multicolored Asian lady beetles are slightly larger than native lady beetles, with adults measuring 9/32 inch (7 mm) long and 7/32 inch (5.5 mm) wide. They are oval or convex in shape, and yellow to red in color (with or without black spots on the wing covers).
The multicolored Asian lady beetle (MALB) (Figure 1) is native to Asia, where it is an important predator that feeds on aphids and other soft-bodied insects that dwell in trees. Exactly how MALB made its way to North America remains shrouded in controversy.
Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle Distribution, Habitat, and Ecology The native distribution of the rather fascinating Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle covers a wide swathe of eastern Asia . This range extends from portions of Siberia to Japan, China , and Taiwan.
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The multicolored Asian lady beetle is similar to other familiar lady beetles commonly found throughout the United States. Like the familiar lady beetles, the multicolored Asian lady beetle feeds on insect pests in orchards and forests but may also occur on row crops and in gardens.
Where the lucky ladybug sports their bright red body with black spots that we have all come to know and love, the multi-colored Asian beetle ranges from tan to orange as well as red. The females generally have the spots that remind us of the ladybug.
Despite working wonders to clear pests from the garden, however, the exotic Asian Multicolored Lady Beetle has become somewhat of a pest itself. This species of Lady Beetle is actually native to China, Japan and eastern Russia.
