Common Name
The official name for this lady beetle is the Variegated Lady Beetle.

Scientific Name
Hippodamia variegata (Goeze)

Description

• Elytra (hardened forewings) are orange with 5, 6, or 7 black spots.
• 4.4 to 5.0 mm in length.

Note: This lady beetle’s body is more elongated than dome-shaped. It is frequently mistaken for a native lady beetle in the same genus, the convergent lady beetle (Hippodamia convergens), because some variegated lady beetles have 2 pale spots on their pronotum that bear a striking resemblance to the markings characteristic of the convergent lady beetle. Therefore, it is important to make note of the number of spots on the elytra as well as the size of the lady beetle because variegated lady beetles have fewer spots and are generally smaller in size than the native convergent lady beetle.

Habitat

This lady beetle is found in a wide range of non-forest habitats that are prone to high aphid populations, such as alfalfa, clover, cereal crops, fruit crops, as well as in weedy field borders and woodland edges.

The variegated lady beetle is native through Europe and much of central Asia. Between 1957 and 1981, it was released across North America as a biological control agent for aphids. In 1984 an established population of the variegated lady beetle was found in Quebec, though it was not the result of an intentional release. Since then, the variegated lady beetle has become a fairly common lady beetle in eastern North America.

Regional Sightings

The variegated lady beetle has become a relatively common lady beetle in the Maritimes. It has been found in New Brunswick since 1993, and Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island since 1995.