The larva is long with a waxy blue and orange coloration, alligator-like, and a very aggressive predator. The convergent lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens Guérin-Méneville, is one of the most abundant and widely distributed native coccinellids in North America (Rankin and Rankin 1980, Gordon 1985). Convergent Lady Beetle/ Convergent Ladybird. Fourth-instar larvae may consume about fifty aphids per day and adults may eat about twenty. Introduction. Appearance. Hippodamia convergens, commonly known as the convergent lady beetle, is one of the most common lady beetles in North America and is found throughout the continent. Convergent Lady Beetle Facts. Convergent lady beetles are native to North America, but have also been imported and established in South America by importing beetles from California. Hippodamia convergens, the convergent lady beetle, is available for aphid control in home gardens and in commercial food production systems throughout the United States and Canada.Beetles received from commercial insectaries for biological control are occasionally infected with a microsporidium. Photographed at the Turtle River State Park, North Dakota (08 June 2011). St. Louis, MO: John S. Swift Co. The thorax is black with two converging white lines inside and a white margin. However, virtually no information exists on its prey finding mechanisms and abilities. Convergent Lady Beetles, Hippodamia convergens, have begun to feed off of the Milkweed Aphids, though it seems there are far too many Aphids for the few Lady Beetles that were observed. Sevenspotted lady beetle adults may consume several hundred aphids per day and each larva eats 200 to 300 aphids as it grows. INSECT PESTS 159 ends. Life cycle. âRearing the Coccinellid Hippodamia convergens on Frozen Aphidsâ. It varies in color from yellow to red-orange or even black, but it always has lines that curve inward to form an âMâ or âWâ pattern behind the head. This is one of the best known and most common American lady beetles and is found from southern Canada to South America. Five other states recognize ladybugs as official insect symbols: Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Tennessee. It is found throughout the continent (from southern Canada to South America). A 2âyear study was conducted to characterize the intercrop movement of convergent lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens GuerinâMeneville (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) between adjacent cotton and alfalfa. Hagen, Kenneth S. (1960). The olfactory response of the convergent lady beetle to (E)-β-farnesene was investigated using an eight-arm air-flow olfactometer and tracing the pathways of the lady beetles. Aphids form their main diet and they are used for the biological control of these pests. However, minimization of the use of broad-spectrum insecticides is highly recommended for the conservation of these predators, providing them refuges. A 2âyear study was conducted to characterize the intercrop movement of convergent lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens GuerinâMeneville (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) between adjacent cotton and alfalfa. When sold as âlady beetlesâ or âladybugsâ the species involved is the convergent lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens, a native lady beetle found throughout North America. [1], The female lady beetle lays 200 to 300 eggs over several months during spring and early summer. Hippodamia convergens, commonly known as the convergent lady beetle is one of the most common lady beetle species in North America. The Asian lady beetle ( H armonia axyridis ) can have many spot patterns. [5] The beetles of this species are 4-7 mm in size and have usually 12 black spots on the red or orange forewings. In the western United States, adult beetles typically migrate to mountain canyons or foothills and spend up to nine months (from May to February), hibernating in large aggregations far from potential food sources. Learn how to identify the Convergent Lady Beetle on BugGuide and read more about the benefits of the native Convergent Lady Beetle on the San Francisco State University Department of ⦠Aphids are the main diet for both adults and larvae and thus this species is usually sold by insectaries for aphid control. The convergent lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens Guérin-Méneville, is among the most common lady beetle species throughout North America and is an important natural enemy of aphids, scales, thrips, and other soft-bodied insects. A dual proteinâmarking method was used to assess the intercrop movement of the lady ⦠In some areas, the convergent lady beetle, along with other native species, may be displaced by the invasive Asian multicolored ladybeetle, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas). Beers, E.H., Brunner, J.F., Willett, M.J., and Warner, G.M. âBiological Control with Lady Beetlesâ. It will also feed on pollen and nectar from flowers when prey is scarce. Development from egg to adult may take only two to three weeks, and adults live for weeks or months, depending on the location, availability of prey, and time of year. Hippodamia convergens, the convergent lady beetle, lives in many habitats including forests, grasslands, farm lands, and suburban gardens. The Convergent Lady Beetle (ladybug) is the official state insect of North Dakota. Overwintering adults may be less susceptible to recommended application rates of some pesticides than active adults and larvae. If the food supply is abundant, the female may start laying within about a week of mating, but if it is scarce, she may wait for up to nine months. convergent_lady_beetle_2012.jpg One of our many native lady beetles, the convergent lady beetle (Hippodamia convergens) is named for two short white lines on the black pronotum (shoulderlike section behind the head) that converge toward each other. It is found throughout the continent (from southern Canada to South America). Annals of the Entomological Society of America31 (2): 240â248. The convergent lady beetle has two white lines that meet or converge behind the head, giving the insect its name. Convergent lady beetle (Hippodamia convergens) Identified by the converg-ing white lines on the top of their thorax. [2] Once the larvae begin feeding, they grow quickly and molt four times over a period of up to a month. [2], Convergent lady beetles are also used for augmentative biological control to temporarily increase predator numbers to control aphids. One to two generations occur each year, depending on the length of the season, before the adults enter winter hibernation, usually in a protected site. The Convergent Lady Beetle is typically 0.1 inches to 0.3 inches (4mm to 8mm) in size and has the following descriptors / identifiers: spotted; orange; black; white; yellow; gray; grey. Convergent lady beetles are native to North America, but have also been imported and established in South America by importing beetles from California. This may provide energy for the larvae before they find any aphids. Adults en masse: Hippodamia convergens (convergent ladybird); convergent lady beetles are imported for study at the ARS Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Laboratory in Newark, Delaware, USA. Good Fruit Grower, Yakima, WA. The female lady beetle lays 200 to 300 eggs over several months during spring and early summer. The adult beetles have black, slightly elongated body with convergent white stripes and white margins behind the head. A common species throughout the United States, the convergent lady beetle (Hippodamia convergens) is mainly a solitary species, except when overwintering, when hundreds may collect. Ladybugs help farmers and gardeners by eating aphids, mites, and other pests. In spring, the adults spread out and search for suitable sites to lay their eggs where aphids are plentiful. Aggregation of lady beetles on the shores of lakes (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Haug, G. W. (1938). When aphids are scarce, the adults can eat honeydew, nectar and pollen or even petals and other soft parts of plants.
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