How many types of ladybugs are there in Maryland? Do you know your ladybug facts well enough to impress your friends?
Here’s a list of all 12 types of ladybugs in Maryland, along with their relevant facts and interesting information about each type.
Use this list as a reference next time you go outside so that you can impress yourself (and everyone else) with your fantastic ladybug knowledge! For example, did you know…
1. Cardinal Ladybird
The Cardinal Ladybird, Coccinella cardinals, is Maryland’s most common type of ladybug. They are orange with black spots and can grow up to 1 inch long.
These ladybugs in Maryland are considered beneficial because they eat aphids that eat plants and can damage crops.
The name cardinal comes from the red color that appears on the insect in specific lighting. If a female has not been fertilized, she will lay her eggs near an aphid or prey for her larvae to feed on.
Once she lays the eggs, she will move away before the larva hatch, so it does not become food for her offspring. She may lay 100-400 eggs at one time, and each larva can eat between 40-60 pests in its lifetime.
2. Convergent Lady Beetle
The convergent lady beetles are a type of ladybug in Maryland. This insect is about half the size of a dime, but you might mistake it for an ant because it has the same color and shape. They are usually found in flowers.
They have black heads and antennae with red spots on their back; convergent ladybeetles are a non-aggressive type of ladybug in Maryland.
They don’t bite or sting humans, so they’re harmless to humans, animals, plants, and other insects. They only eat nectar and pollen from flowers, which makes them pollinators.
These insects mate once, and then they will die after mating. Usually, when people see them, they think they are ants because of their small size and spot body.
However, these ladybugs do not like having anything near them, so if you try to pick one up, it will curl up into a ball until it gets released.
3. Fourteen-Spotted Ladybird Beetle
The fourteen-spotted ladybird beetle is a type of ladybug in Maryland. They are typically around 1/2 inch long and have a red body with 14 black spots on the back.
The larvae, which are orange with one black stripe across each segment, can also be seen in the spring and summer.
These beetles mainly eat aphids, mealy bugs, scales, tiny caterpillars, and other soft-bodied insects. Unlike most beetles, these ladybugs in Maryland are primarily active during the day.
4. Seven-Spotted Ladybug
The seven-spotted ladybug is also known as the Coccinella septempunctata. It is one of the most common types of ladybugs in Maryland.
The name of this type of ladybug in Maryland translates to seven black spots on its red back. They are usually about half an inch long.
These ladybugs can be seen between April and September but don’t fly. The larvae are yellow and black striped with white markings that resemble the letter Y on their backs.
Adult 7-spot ladybugs feed primarily on aphids, scale insects, and mealy bugs.
A rare species in Maryland is the banded ladybug or nine-spotted conch (Coccinella novemnotata). It has nine spots like its more common counterpart but has two dark lines running down either side of its body.
5. Pink-Spotted Lady Beetle
The pink-spotted ladybug species are well-known in the United States. It can be said that they are the most common types of ladybugs in Maryland.
It has a black head with two orange spots on its back and is also commonly known as Coccinella septempunctata.
The Pink-Spotted lady beetle (Coccinella novemnotata) is another well-known species typically found in North America.
These beetles are distinguished types of ladybugs in Maryland; It has pink markings on their wing cases.
However, it can sometimes be confused with the Coccinella transversalis, which only has three spots on its wing issues. The following few species are all native to Maryland.
The Ladder-Backed Lady Beetle, or Venerable Lady Beetle (Olla v-nigrum), is a medium-sized beetle with dark red or brown colors on its elytra.
They are about 5mm long and have six spines on each elytrodesis, one less than other ladybugs.
6. Two-Spotted Ladybug
Two-spotted ladybugs are common but not among the most common types of ladybugs in Maryland. They are typically orange or red with two black spots on their back, but they can also be yellow, brown, or gray. They are often seen in clusters on plants and trees.
This type of ladybug in Maryland is beneficial because it eats aphids and scales that damage plants and crops.
It lays its eggs near its prey to have an easy meal. It will lay up to 150 eggs at once and then find targets. If you see it around your house, consider it good luck!
7. Twenty-Spotted Lady Beetle
The Twenty-Spotted ladybugs are one of the most common types in Maryland, known for their black spots on a red or orange body.
They are also commonly called Seven-spotted ladybird beetles because they have seven spots on their wings.
This type of ladybug in Maryland feeds mainly on aphids and other plant pests, which is beneficial for gardens.
Ladybugs come in a wide range of colors, shapes, and sizes, with 5,000 species. Twelve types of ladybugs can be found in Maryland, although some may not live year-round here.
The Coccinella septempunctata is native to Europe but has been introduced to North America.
It was first discovered in Quebec, Canada, then spread southward into the United States, particularly from eastern Texas westward into California and northward along the East Coast.
These ladybugs eat small insects like thrips and many other garden pests.
8. Thirteen-Spot Lady Beetle
The thirteen-spot lady beetle is a species that can be found in the US. Mostly, it is a type of ladybug in Maryland.
It has been seen in other parts of the country and is typically a pest that feeds on aphids, which are also pests. A black head and thorax can be identified with spots and red elytra (wing covers).
These ladybugs in Maryland often have a yellow or light orange abdomen. The thirteen-spot lady beetle used to be called Coccinella novemnotata until recently, when it was changed to Coccinella trifasciata due to a classification error.
They are sometimes confused with Harmonia axyridis because they are similar in size and color but have 13 spots instead of 19.
9. Fifteen-Spotted Lady Beetle
This species is one of the most common types of ladybugs in Maryland. The name comes from the 15 black dots on its elytra or wing coverings. It feeds mostly on aphids and small insects.
They are considered good pets and a pest control agent because they prey on insects often regarded as bad for lawns, gardens, and crops.
The name is misleading since most ladybug species have black spots on their elytra. The term lady refers to an old belief that bright-colored insects were associated with good fortune and could ward off evil spirits.
10. Eye-Spotted Lady Beetle
The Eye-Spotted Lady Beetle is a type of ladybug in Maryland. It’s known for its black and red coloration, with the top half of the body being black and the bottom half being red.
This type of ladybug in Maryland has two rows (four spots) on each wing cover and one row on each side.
The eye-spotted lady beetle can range from 0.6 to 1.2 inches long (1.5-3 cm). These bugs can be seen from April to October, depending on the weather conditions in your location.
One other name for this type of ladybug is the teacher bug.
And because these types of ladybugs in Maryland love flowers, you may find them congregating around flower beds. They also prefer to eat aphids, which helps protect plants from being eaten by these pests.
11. Asian Lady Beetle
Asian ladybeetles are a type of ladybug in Maryland, the eastern United States. There are seven Asian lady beetles, the most common being Harmonia axyridis or H.axyridis. They are known to be aggressive and will bite if provoked.
They grow to be about 1/4 inch long and have a black head with a red-orange underside and orange legs. Asian lady beetles can vary in color depending on their age.
These ladybugs in Maryland go through four stages before becoming adult beetles: egg, larva, pupa, and adult beetle.
The eggs will hatch in 10 days during warm weather conditions, while they take up to two months to hatch during excellent weather conditions.
12. Ornate Chequered Beetle
The Ornate Chequered Beetle is a type of ladybug found in Maryland. This beetle has black, white, and red coloring on its back. The chequered pattern on the beetle’s back can be seen when it is fully grown.
These beetles are unfamiliar and often mistaken for other ladybugs or beetles. There are many types of ladybugs in Maryland, but all have at least one thing in common: They’re cute! It’s easy to see why kids enjoy learning about these little creatures.
A person who likes bugs may learn about types of ladybugs in Maryland to better identify different insects.
A person who dislikes bugs may study types of ladybugs in Maryland because they want to understand their behavior better so they can avoid them more quickly if needed. They’re hard-working too!
