Spotted lady beetles are oval-shaped, pink to red in color, and have six black spots on each of their wings. Their middles are pinkish or yellowish and have two triangular spots. Their heads are black with one pink or red triangle-shaped spot. Larvae of spotted lady beetles are dark brown and have orange markings. Both larvae and adults have three sets of legs. Adult lady spotted beetles are 5-6 millimeters in length. Larvae are up to 9 millimeters in length. (Gordon, 1985)
Coleomegilla maculata, commonly known as spotted lady beetles or 12-spotted lady beetles, are found across North, Central, and South America. Their range stretches from California to Mexico and south to Cuba. The three subspecies Coleomegilla maculata lengi, Coleomegilla maculata strenua, and Coleomegilla maculata fubscilabris live in different areas. C.m. lengi lives in most of the eastern United States, except for New England and Florida. C.m. strenua is found from Texas to southern California. C.m. fubscilabris lives in Florida and the parts of the Gulf Coast. (Gordon, 1985; Krafsur and Obrycki, 2000; Morales-Ramos and Rojas, 2017; Staley and Yeargan, 2005)
Spotted lady beetles like to live where their prey lives. They can be found on crops like corn, hophornbeam copperleaf, and less commonly wheat, sorghum, alfalfa, soybeans, cotton, potatoes, peas, tomatoes, asparagus, and apples. (Staley and Yeargan, 2005)
Larvae go through four stages of growth. During their fourth stage of growth, they pupate and go through metamorphosis. Pupation lasts from 3-13 days. The temperature impacts how long they pupate. There are two to five generations of spotted lady beetles every year. The last generation of the year will mate and then hibernate through the winter. Once they wake up, the females will lay their eggs. (Sheldon, 2020)
Female spotted lady beetles may lay eggs on the lower part of corn plants. They also lay eggs near corn fields on hophornbeam copperleaf and weeds. Spotted lady beetles don't lay eggs on plants that have smooth leaves. Egg-laying begins in the spring and continues on until the summer. They may lay anywhere from 200 to 1,000 eggs over three months. Spotted lady beetles reproduce sexually. (Sheldon, 2020; Staley and Yeargan, 2005)
Spotted lady beetles do not take care of their young.
Adults can be found from April until late September. They are most common near the end of September. There are between two to five generations of spotted lady beetles per year. (Sheldon, 2020)
Adults hunt for prey during the day, while larvae feed both during the day and during the night. Adults climb up plants to eat during the morning hours and climb back down during the afternoon. (Morales-Ramos and Rojas, 2017; Sheldon, 2020)
Spotted lady beetles mostly communicate through pheromones. They use visual, tactile, and chemical senses of perception. (Zhu, et al., 1999)
Spotted lady beetles mostly eat aphids, whiteflies, mites, butterflies and moths eggs and larvae, leaf beetle eggs and larvae, and spider mites. Up to half of their diet can be made up of pollen. Spotted lady beetle larvae may eat each other. (Gordon, 1985; Rondon, et al., 2006)
The larvae of spotted lady beetles may eat each other. A species of tachinid fly attacks larvae of spotted lady beetles. One species of braconid wasp attacks adult, larval, and pupal spotted lady beetles. (Frank and Mizell III, 2014; Staley and Yeargan, 2005)
Spotted lady flies are important predators of crop pests like aphids. Since their diet can consist of up to 50% pollen, they may pollinate plants as they move from one to another. (Sheldon, 2020)
Spotted lady flies have no known negative economic impact. (Staley and Yeargan, 2005)
Spotted lady beetles hunt and eat crop pests like aphids, whiteflies, mites, butterflies and moths eggs and larvae, leaf beetle eggs and larvae, and spider mites. They can be used to lower pest populations on farms and in gardens. Spotted lady beetles may also pollinate the plants they visit. (Gordon, 1985; Rondon, et al., 2006; Staley and Yeargan, 2005)
Spotted lady beetles are not endangered.
Coleomegilla maculata are commonly known as spotted lady beetles or 12-spotted lady beetles. (Frank and Mizell III, 2014; Staley and Yeargan, 2005)
Deena Hauze (author), Animal Diversity Web Staff.
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Zhu, J., A. Cossé, J. Obrycki, K. Boo, T. Baker. 1999. Olfactory Reactions of the Twelve-Spotted Lady Beetle, Coleomegilla maculata and the Green Lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea to Semiochemicals Released from Their Prey and Host Plant: Electroantennogram and Behavioral Responses. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 25(5): 1163-1177.