Family
Lady beetles of Florida
Ladybug, ladybird, and lady beetle name the same family. UF/IFAS Featured Creatures counts about 105 Coccinellidae in Florida, some native and some arrived later. They are oval beetles, often bright, and most of the ones a yard notices eat aphids, scales, and other soft insects. Color is a poor ID: some are brown, some are black, some have no spots at all.
Three names, one family
English uses ladybug, ladybird, and lady beetle for Coccinellidae. UF/IFAS uses all three. The animals are beetles, not true bugs. Relatives in the same superfamily include fungus beetles a gardener never notices.
Color is a poor ID: some are brown, some are black, some have no spots at all.
How many live here
EENY-170 reports nearly 6,000 species worldwide and about 105 in Florida. Some are native. Some are adventive: they arrived and established without a Florida introduction program. A few were released on purpose as biological control.
| Beetle | Status in the papers | Field note |
|---|---|---|
| Cycloneda sanguinea | Named as a Florida native in ENY-822 | Spotless orange-red adult, common on citrus and ornamentals |
| Hippodamia convergens | Native, Featured Creatures EENY-592 | Two white converging lines on the pronotum |
| Harmonia axyridis | Adventive; EENY-204 | Many color morphs; clusters in houses in cool weather |
What to look for
Adults are hemispherical and search constantly. Larvae are elongated and flattened, usually dark with orange marks — gardeners kill them when they look like pests. Eggs are yellow and laid in clusters near prey. Pupae sit still on a leaf and keep some of the larval color.
What they eat
Predatory species take aphids first, then scales, mites, mealybugs, whiteflies, thrips, small caterpillars, and insect eggs. Adults also take pollen and nectar when prey is thin. A few Coccinellidae eat plants or fungus; the red garden beetle is the hunter this journal tracks.
Questions
Are all lady beetles red with black spots?
No. ENY-822 says adults come in many colors, including brown or black, and often lack spots. Some are smaller than a tenth of an inch.
Do they bite people?
Harmonia axyridis can nip and leave a stain when clustered indoors. Predatory feeding is aimed at soft insects, not people.
Sources
- EENY-170 / IN327 Lady beetles of Florida. UF/IFAS Featured Creatures. About 105 Coccinellidae in Florida.
- Ladybugs in Florida. UF/IFAS Extension. Predators of aphids; purchased beetles often fly away.
- ENY-822 / IN120 Invertebrates as biological control agents. Larvae look like tiny alligators. Native Cycloneda sanguinea and Hippodamia convergens.
- EENY-204 / IN361 Multicolored Asian lady beetle. Harmonia axyridis. Color morphs. Indoor overwintering. Established by the 1990s.