The ladybug’s status as one of the world’s most adored insects is unsurprising!
Because they consume invasive pests like aphids, ladybugs are typically considered helpful insect species.
There are thought to be thousands of different types of ladybugs in New York.
Ladybugs, globally recognized for their beneficial contributions to ecology, are many species.
In addition to having spots all over their elytra, ladybugs can have varied colors and no markings.
You will discover today the types of ladybugs in New York homes.
Make sure you read to the end of our blog list of types of ladybugs in New York.
Let’s go!
1. Cardinal ladybug
Our list of ladybug types in New York starts with the cardinal ladybug. Originally from Australia, this species was introduced to this country for biological pest control.
Except for Antarctica, every continent has now seen the spread of the cardinal ladybug.
Cardinal ladybugs typically eat minute mites and aphids like most other ladybugs. However, the Cottony Cushion Scale, a pest that consumes citrus and native trees, is their main food source.
You might be surprised to learn that these adorable little ladybugs in New York are cannibals who will only eat other ladybugs! This is a result of their dislike of hunger.
Females will even lay additional unfertilized eggs to ensure their offspring have enough food.
2. Convergent Lady Beetle
This species of ladybug is widespread in New York. Convergent lady beetles inhabit a diverse range of environments.
Find this lovely species in your garden or yard. Sadly, the invasive Asian lady beetle is outcompeting and replacing them in some regions.
Aphids serve food for both adults and larvae, although adults will also consume pollen, whiteflies, other insects, and other plant components.
Convergent Lady Beetles assemble into huge clusters known as aggregations throughout the winter. To mate and stay warm during hibernation, they take this action!
In New York, large groups of these types of ladybugs are gathered and sold in garden centers to control pests.
But they usually take off after the individual buys them and lets them go. I hope they marked the container with a buyer-beware notice!
3. Fourteen-spotted ladybugs Beetle
These Ladybugs in New York were introduced to North America to aid in managing Russian Wheat Aphids.
In New York, the Fourteen-spotted ladybug Beetle is currently common and growing.
These ladybugs can be found in various settings in New York, such as pastures, meadows, and mixed woodlands.
Look for this species in parks and gardens at ground level. Plants, moss, leaf litter, and compost piles are typical locations.
As an insectivorous species, the Fourteen-spotted ladybug Beetle consumes aphids, whiteflies, scale insects, and the eggs and larvae of certain beetles and butterflies.
These small types of ladybugs in New York are Fast and have a long flight range, just like most. Without stopping, they can cover up to 70 miles at 37 mph.
4. Multicolored Asian Beetles
As the most widely distributed lady species, multicolored Asian lady beetles (Harmonia axyridis) are in the same commercial ladybug market as seven-spotted ladybugs.
Their actions easily explain their ascent to the top of the commercial market.
During the autumn and winter hibernation period, they gather in huge groups—possibly thousands—making collecting and selling them profitable during the spring garden season.
Residential walls offer ideal hiding places for these generally useful insects, turning them into part-time pests.
Keeping these types of ladybugs in New York out of the house is the best way to protect them from becoming a problem in the autumn and winter, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which also gives some advice on pest management.
If you want to keep lady beetles out of your home, seal any external gaps and crevices before the insects start looking for places to overwinter.
This would not only deter wasps and other undesired insects but also save homeowners energy expenses.
It can be difficult to identify the Multicoloured Asian Lady Beetle using its wing spots as a guide because they differ between species.
The image emphasizes the more appropriate field identifying clue—a clear “W” design on the neck.
5. Pristine ladybug
Cycloneda sanguinea is the name of the ladybug species that features orange or crimson hues, a black head, and striking white markings.
Although indigenous to California, this genus of bugs is also found throughout Central and South America.
This genus of ladybugs is frequently observed consuming milkweed pollen. Aphids and chaparral brooms are also included in their diet.
The Spotless ladybug is expanding its range and becoming more common in previously uninhabited areas like Hawaii.
6. Seven-spotted ladybugs
Most likely, the Seven-spotted ladybug comes to mind when you think about types of ladybugs in New York!
This ladybug can be found in various settings, such as gardens, woodlands, meadows, and fields.
Because they consume enormous quantities of aphids, the Seven-spotted ladybug is adored by almost everyone.
As a result, they are highly helpful in reducing the number of aphid pests in farms and grasslands.
They came from Europe and were planted here as a biological barrier against aphids.
It’s interesting to note that seven-spotted ladybugs are disappearing from their natural European habitats despite their incredible growth in North America.
Like other ladybugs in New York, this one can release fluid from its leg joints. Ugh! This can leave a bad taste in the mouths of potential predators.
The ladybug will pretend to be dead or excrete this material to defend itself if attacked.
7. Pink-spotted Lady Beetle
The Pink-spotted Lady Beetle is also on our list of types of ladybugs in New York, making it home anywhere it can locate aphids, its preferred food source.
This includes wheat, sweet corn, alfalfa, soybeans, peas, beans, cotton, potatoes, tomatoes, asparagus, and apples that attract aphids.
In addition, the Pink-spotted Lady Beetle consumes pollen, nectar, water, insect eggs, and larvae.
Forty percent of their diet consists of pollen. This ladybug is a predator of numerous moths that feed on maize crops and their eggs.
The Pink-spotted Lady Beetle is a major contributor to the decline in these unwanted insect populations, as it can consume up to 60 eggs daily.
Growers in New York are assisting these types of ladybugs by preventing them from using toxic pesticides on their crops, which benefits us all.
For this reason, farmers even buy these ladybugs commercially.
8. Two Spotted ladybug
The Two-spotted ladybug consumes other tiny insects, such as aphids.
However, the gall-forming aphids that this ladybug consumes have warriors who defend their colony by fighting back against the ladybug. It would be awful to have your food fight back!
These ladybugs in New York are frequently employed as biological pesticides.
However, biologists still don’t understand the reason behind the drop in their population in several states.
One explanation could be that 80–90% of Two-spotted ladybugs’ progeny are female. It’s interesting to note that the microorganisms causing this disparity are exclusive to females.
The bacteria kill the male embryos in the freshly deposited eggs.
9. Twenty Spotted ladybug
The Twenty-spotted ladybug is found on plants with mildew. It enjoys nibbling on the mildew.
Interestingly, unlike most other types of ladybugs in New York, they prefer to consume fungus instead of aphids.
They are frequently seen in bushy vegetation or on skunk cabbage plants in the spring.
This ladybug forms tiny groups, or aggregations, with other ladybugs to hibernate under leaf litter throughout the winter.
10. Thirteen Spotted ladybug
Aphids on dry, scratchy foliage are what this ladybug prefers to feed. But they also eat rotting hay, reeds, and the bark that has peeled off.
Being a species native to the north, these ladybugs in New York are only active from May to September.
11. Fifteen Spotted ladybug
The hue of this ladybug can range from pale to dark. It has been demonstrated that the original theory held by researchers that they darkened with age was false.
The best time to see the Fifteen-spotted Lady Beetle is April through July. But you won’t see them in your garden since they are typically found only in forests.
These ladybugs in New York have a daily appetite of up to 75 aphids.
They must have a fast metabolism because that is a lot of food for such a small beetle!
12. Eye-Spotted Lady Beetle
ladybugs are simple to recognize. Find the white rings surrounding their black areas, that’s all.
Since they are typically found in tree canopies, they might be difficult to spot. However, occasionally, one can be seen lower down.
As it ages, the Eye-spotted Lady Beetle in New York takes on a darker hue similar to certain other ladybug species.
Ladybugs only survive one to two years, yet scientists are unsure why this occurs.
I suppose it’s comparable to people growing gray hair as they age! Aphids that reside on fir trees are the ones that these types of ladybugs in New York favor.
They could consume up to 5,000 aphids in their lives!
13. Three Banded ladybugs
Typically, gardens, meadows, forests, and farming fields are home to this species.
Like most ladybugs in New York, the Three-banded ladybug enjoys eating soft-bodied insects, mites, caterpillars, and insect eggs.
They will, nevertheless, also consume pollen and nectar. There is a slight sweet appetite in this ladybug!
14. Japanese Lady Beetle
Usually, they have black specks on an orange or red background. Nevertheless, because of their variations in color, size, and number of spots, these beetles can be VERY difficult to identify.
Also referred to as the Japanese ladybug, Harlequin ladybug, and Multicoloured Asian ladybug.
In New York, the most prevalent ladybug lookalike is the Asian Lady Beetle. A real ladybug is NOT what the Asian Lady Beetle is.
Although its appearance and behavior are identical, they are not the same. Although native to eastern Asia, it was introduced to help manage aphids, much like other ladybugs.
This species grew rapidly throughout New York after it was introduced. It is also called the “Halloween Beetle” since it frequently invades homes in October to hibernate.
I am aware that when the temperature becomes cooler every year, a LOT of Asian lady beetles enter our home!
This species is regarded as one of the most invasive types of ladybugs in New York and worldwide.
If you find this beetle inside, try not to crush it because their internal secretions have a terrible odor and can stain items!
15. Giant ladybug
One of the biggest ladybug species in the United States is Anatis lecontei. It inhabits various arid regions and high altitudes in the Southern states.
The elytra of this species is spotless and might be crimson, brown-red, or dark brown. Its pronotum is black with yellow stripes that converge.
Additionally, the colors black and yellow, unique to the species’ larvae, contrast with the brown undertones of the adults.
This big ladybug can reach a maximum size of 10.5 mm. These ladybugs in New York are frequently seen in Texas, where they mostly search trees for food.
It consumes a variety of tree aphid types for food.
16. Black ladybug
Cliocorus bipustulatus, the black ladybug species, reaches a maximum size of 5 mm. The ladybug species in question is unique in having a black base color.
There is an uncommon brown-red variation of the species as well.
The red dots arranged in a straight line across the elytra contrast with its usual black appearance. The species’ larvae are elongated, with a tan center band and black color spikes.
Its habitat is varied, encompassing parks, gardens, and woodlands. Additionally, the species survives on short vegetation in several parts of the world.
17. Glacial ladybug
The colors the Glacial ladybug (Hippodamia glacialis) can have include brown, orange, and yellow. These are the elytra’s base colors, constantly broken up by black dots.
In addition, the pronotum is black, with lines that converge to yellow, orange, or brown.
Glacial ladybugs only feature black markings on their bottom elytra, unlike similar species, like the Oblong Lady Beetle.
18. Ten-Spotted Spurge ladybug
Spurling ladybugs with ten spots are ending our list of types of ladybugs in New York.
The primary colors of the Ten-spotted Spurge ladybug (Brachiacantha decempustulata) are black and tan. There is one bright spot on the pronotum and four spots on the elytra.
This one is one of the tiniest ladybugs found in North and Central America. Although many of them are as little as 2mm, they can reach a maximum size of 2.5mm.
Aphids are the meal of ten-spotted Spurge ladybugs.
