The multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis, was introduced into the US by USDA in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s as a biological control agent for aphids and other soft bodied insects of trees. Since its introduction, it has spread rapidly throughout North America displacing many of the native species of lady beetles. In recent years, another non-native insect from Asia, the soybean aphid, also has exploded in soybean fields resulting in increasingly large Asian lady beetle populations across the Midwest. Droves of lady beetles now migrate from trees and soybean fields in late summer and fall looking for other sources of food and favorable overwintering sites. This surge in population has created new problems for fruit growers as well as businesses and homeowners in Ohio.
Species 1: Coleoptera Coccinellidae Harmonia axyridis (Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle)
Keywords: apple, grapes
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