• Home
  • Stories
    • News >
      • 2022 Local Government Elections
    • Learning & Literacy
    • Food, Farming & Fishing >
      • Recipe Collection
    • Culture & Heritage
    • Wellness
    • Environment
    • Opinions, letters and reflections
  • About Us
    • Donate
  • Jobs
    • Job Posting Submission Form
    • Job Postings
  • E-magazine
  • Calendar
  • Albert County
    • Community Directory
    • Churches
    • Living in Albert County
    • Our Villages
    • Attractions
  • Ads
  • Trails
Connecting Albert County

environment

Spring Spotlight on Lady Beetles

22/4/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
A little primer on these bodacious beetles
Text and images by Denis Doucet


One of my favourite outdoor activities during the first warm days of spring is to look for Lady Beetles around our farm. 
“Wait, what are ‘Lady Beetles’?,” you may ask. 
“I thought they were ‘Ladybugs,’” you say.
Technically, “Ladybugs” are a kind of beetle (beetles represent the largest order of insects with 300,000+ species). Like other beetles, their first set of wings are all leathery and not for flight. True “bugs,” such as stink bugs, assassin bugs, plant bugs and more, are all part of the Hemiptera Order. The first set of wings of Hemipterans are half leathery and half clear. Now, on with my story, and I trust you now know why I am calling them Lady Beetles. 
​

Lady Beetles are fascinating, beautiful, and very important for the environment. If you have children looking for fun and nature-oriented things to do outside these days, consider searches for Lady Beetles. I usually see my first Lady Beetle each year within the two weeks on either side of Earth Day (April 22nd). The first sighting is usually on a sunny day when the temperature gets above 10C and the snow is mostly gone. Sightings just get better and better through May until the start of summer. By late June, the year’s first crop of adults dies off and makes way for the next generation, the one that will generally overwinter and survive until next spring. Where do I find Lady Beetles? Some spots are better than others for finding certain kinds. For example, I usually have luck finding the Twice-stabbed Lady Beetle (above) and the Two-spotted Lady Beetle on smooth-barked trees, such as young aspen and young maples, on the edge of a field. A little careful searching among the flowers growing in your garden and plants along trails near your house can turn up several more kinds. 

Of course, the invasive Asian Lady Beetle (Harmonia axyridis) which now overwinters inside our homes can be seen just about any time of year. This is because it can awaken and be active outside (as well as inside) on any warm day during the winter and early spring. I am not quite as excited about finding them compared to finding other species, since they are now so widespread and easy to find. Asian Lady Beetles are now some of the most widespread Lady Beetles in the Canadian Maritimes and much of North America along with two other common, introduced (adventive/exotic) species, the Seven-spotted Lady Beetle and the Fourteen-spotted Lady Beetle.   

The Asian Lady Beetle has caused some folks to have more mixed emotions about Lady Beetles in general, as they can be abundant, and if enough of them are in your house, they can even leave a detectable odour. If handled, they can pinch (mind you, a few of our native species can, too)! It's hard to believe they have only been in the Maritimes since around 1995. It’s equally hard to believe how quickly they spread across North America since their successful introduction in Louisiana in 1992. I should mention at this point that even though they, like other Lady Beetles, are very good at eating pests such as aphids, some introduced species have had a negative impact on certain native species of Lady Beetles. This effect, along with a few other factors, means some Lady Beetle species are now considered “at risk” of disappearing from our midst. Habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change are likely also significant contributing factors in the decline of some of our native species.
Picture
Believe it or not, we actually have 50(!) or so different kinds of Lady Beetles in New Brunswick. Virtually all of them feed on what we consider “pests,” such as aphids and scale insects, so they are definitely considered friends of gardeners and farmers. 
I have included images of some of our more common species, along with notes as to whether they are native or introduced. Below, I list a few links to where you can learn more about their awesome life history, more about how things are changing and what is being seen in our neck of the woods and elsewhere in North America. Please share your images of the Lady Beetles you find around your home with Connecting Albert County. 
If you also want to learn more and try your hand at doing a little citizen science with Lady Beetle finds, check out the Lost Ladybug Project (www.lostladybug.org) or join the Lady Beetles of Atlantic Canada project on iNaturalist (inaturalist.ca/projects/lady-beetles-of-atlantic-canada-coccinelles-des-provinces-de-l-atlantique). Heads up to educators and parents: The Lost Ladybug Survey has many great educational resources about Lady Beetles on its site, along with the interface to add your observations. Happy spring, and Happy Lady Beetle spotting!

Spot the puns! In addition to searching for spotted Lady Beetles, check out how many times Denis has added puns about “spots.”
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Environment

    ​Connecting Albert County would like to thank the following supporters & advertisers:

    Platinum supporters
    - Bennett and Albert County Health Care (BACH) Foundation  
    ​- Albert County Pharmacy
    ​​- Hon. Rob Moore, MP for Fundy Royal


    Gold supporters
    - CBDC Westmorland Albert 
    - ​Albert County Funeral Home​​


    Silver supporters
    - 
    Albert County Chamber of Commerce 
    ​ - Foods of the Fundy Valley​
    - Hon. Mike Holland, Minister, MLA-Albert 

     - Fundy Highlands Motel and Chalets

    Bronze supporters
    - ​Chipoudy Communities Revitalization Committee (CCRC)

    - Jeff MacDougall, SouthEastern Mutual Insurance ​
    ​

    If you would like to support Connecting Albert County, visit our Advertising page or Donation page. With your support, we can continue to share the news of rural Albert County.

    Comments
    We welcome comments to our blog postings. Please provide your email address and name with your comment, and respect our content guidelines.

    Archives

    January 2023
    August 2022
    July 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    November 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

    Categories

    All
    Acadian Forest
    Aerial View
    Albert County
    Alma
    Alma Beach
    Alma Wharf
    Amazing Places
    Anemone
    Apps
    Atlantic Salmon
    Autumn
    Bay Of Fundy
    Bee Bash
    Bee Wise Beekeeping
    Biodiversity
    Bird
    Birds
    Birdwatching
    Black-capped Chickadee
    Blue Carbon
    Blue Jay
    Boardwalk
    Boating
    Broadleaf Ranch
    Cabins
    Caledonia Gorge
    Camping
    Cape Enrage
    Carbon
    Cecropia Moth
    Chickadee
    Christmas Bird Count
    Clean Up
    Clear Cut
    Clear-cut
    Clearcutting
    Climate Change
    Community
    Community Activism
    Connecting Albert County Newsletter
    Conservation
    Conserved Area
    Crooked Creek
    Destruction
    Dykelands
    ECO360
    Eco Friendly
    Eco-Friendly
    Ecoregion
    Elephant Rock
    Elgin Eco-Association
    Endangered Species
    Environment
    Erosion
    Fall Prevention
    Fat Bikes
    Fat Biking
    Fiddleheads
    Fireflies
    Flashbacks
    Flowerpot Rocks
    Flowers
    Foods Of The Fundy Valley
    Forest
    Friends Of Fundy
    Friends Of Fundy/Fundy Guild Inc.
    Fundy
    Fundy Biosphere
    Fundy Biosphere Reserve
    Fundy Farms
    Fundy Guild
    Fundy National Park
    Fundy Park
    Fundy Parkway
    Fundy Pollinator Trail
    Fundy Salmon Recovery
    Fundy's Cape Enrage
    Fundy Trail
    Fundy Trail Parkway
    Gardening
    Gardens
    Glamping
    Glass
    Glass Recycling
    GNB Nature Legacy
    Greys Island
    Grindstone Island
    Groups
    Guided Tour
    Hanging Baskets
    Hazardous Household Waste
    Hiking
    Hiking Trails
    Hillsborough
    Hopewell Rocks
    IBoF
    Insects
    International Space Station
    Invasive Species
    Kayak
    Kayaking
    Lady Beetles
    Ladybugs
    Landmarks
    Local Food
    Low Tide Ecosystem
    Luna Moth
    Map
    Maritime Detours
    Mary Majka
    Mary Majka Scholarship
    Meadowhawk
    Mobile Ecodepot
    Molly Kool
    Monopoly
    Music
    Naturalist
    Nature
    Nature Conservancy Of Canada
    Nature Legacy
    Nature NB
    Nature Trust NB
    NB
    New Brunswick
    Old-growth Forest
    Organizations
    Outside Explorations With Children
    Photos
    Plaex
    Plastic Waste
    Pollinators
    Protected Areas
    Protected Land
    Recycling
    Resource
    Riverside Albert
    Riverside-Albert
    Roads
    Rock Formations
    Rosy Maple Moth
    Rte 114
    Safety
    Salmon
    Salt Marsh
    Science
    Shepody Ba
    Shepody River
    Shoreline
    Skits
    Spring
    Stage Production
    St. Martins
    Student
    Sustainability
    Teacher
    Theatre
    The Narwhal
    Tide
    Tide Table
    Tourism
    Trails
    Trail Use
    Travel
    Upper Bay Of Fundy
    Volunteer
    Walking
    Walking On Ice
    Waste Collection
    Water Exploration
    Waterfalls
    Water Supply
    Wetlands
    White Rock
    Wilderness
    Wildlife
    Winter
    Winter Activities
    Winter Hiking
    Winter Wildlife
    Women Of The Wilderness
    WOW
    Yurt

    RSS Feed

CONTACT
ADVERTISING
CALENDAR
PUBLICATION

SiteLock
Copyright © Connecting Albert County, 2021 | Albert County, New Brunswick, Canada
  • Home
  • Stories
    • News >
      • 2022 Local Government Elections
    • Learning & Literacy
    • Food, Farming & Fishing >
      • Recipe Collection
    • Culture & Heritage
    • Wellness
    • Environment
    • Opinions, letters and reflections
  • About Us
    • Donate
  • Jobs
    • Job Posting Submission Form
    • Job Postings
  • E-magazine
  • Calendar
  • Albert County
    • Community Directory
    • Churches
    • Living in Albert County
    • Our Villages
    • Attractions
  • Ads
  • Trails