Six species of lady beetles were caught in this study. Spotless lady beetle, Cycloneda munda; orange spotted lady beetle, Brachiacantha ursina; 7- spotted lady beetle, Cocinnella spetempuntata; Pink Lady beetles, Coleomegilla maculata; parenthesis lady beetle, Hippodamia parenthesis, and multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis were caught. The spotless lady beetle was the most abundant species caught.
Figure 1. Average number of Lady Beetles per species on 10 June 2015.
Overall, there were more lady beetle species in the pasture border rows for these first two collections of 2015. Numbers of spotless lady beetles were higher in the pasture borders on the first collection date than the second date. However, by the second collection, more spotless lady beetles were found in the native perennial border rows. Pink lady beetles and 7 spotted lady beetles increased in the native perennial border rows by the second collection.
This sampling is early in the growing season. As more native perennial plants flower, we expect to see more lady beetles in the native perennial border rows. Based on the limited data we have thus far, floral resources appear to positively impact some of the Lady beetle species and not others. Trapping needs to continue to determine seasonal trends in these habitats. In addition, we need to identify and enumerate other beneficial insects, such as big-eyed bugs, minute pirate bugs and syrphid flies to determine their abundance and activity.