It's that time of the year! And now I've been transporting #AsianLadyBeetles from the upstairs (where kitty spends a lot of her time), to the downstairs where I grow plants because ALB's eat #Aphids! Now, of course, they could crowd out #Ladybugs if they get out of control, so I won't be saving every single one of them. But still...

Multicolored Asian lady beetles

Quick facts

- The multicolored Asian lady beetle has become a nuisance in Minnesota.
- They cluster around buildings in large numbers during fall in search of protected sites for the winter
- Control measures should only be used to prevent entry of Asian lady beetles indoors.
- Multicolored Asian lady beetle and other lady beetle species feed on aphids and other soft-bodied insects that can damage plants in agricultural crops, gardens and landscapes.
- These are beneficial insects to farmers and gardeners.

Asian lady beetle as a household pest

Multicolored Asian lady beetles can be a nuisance when they occur in large numbers inside homes.

- They do not infest wood, destroy fabrics, eat food or damage other property.
- These lady beetles cannot sting and do not carry disease.

Some concerns with multicolored Asian lady beetles are:

- Some can bite hard enough to break human skin, causing minor, short-lived discomfort. These bites happen when the beetles are searching for moisture or food.
- They can secrete a strong-smelling yellowish liquid from the joints of their legs. This liquid can stain light-colored surfaces.
- Exposure to dead lady beetles in buildings can cause allergic reactions in some people"

[Not mentioned: They can be toxic to cats and dogs if ingested!]

Learn more:
https://extension.umn.edu/nuisance-insects/multicolored-asian-lady-beetles

#SolarPunkSunday #NaturalPestControl #LadyBeetles

On my way to AAB Advances in Integrated Pest and Pathogen Management meeting - looking forward to a couple of days hearing about what's happening in applied IPPM research. https://www.aab.org.uk/event/advances-in-integrated-pest-and-pathogen-management/

I'll be talking about aphids on soft fruit, and how to optimise different aspects of biocontrol to improve the approach overall.

#IPM #IntegratedPestManagement #Biocontrol #Parasitoids #Aphids #AppliedEntomology

A colony of aphids tended by a Camponotus noveboracensis carpenter ant. South Bristol, New York.

#Camponotus #aphids #ants #Insects #ecology

The American ragwort aphid is now up in the Christchurch Port Hills where it's feeding on native senecio plants. 😔

The species arrived in the city in autumn of 2019 and has been spreading since then. I found it last week on the top of Sugarloaf, which is the first record of the species in the hills beyond the city.

Things are going to get complicated when the aphid arrives at NZ's at-risk populations of threatened endemic senecios.

https://inaturalist.nz/observations/322653324

#BiologicalInvasions #aphids #insects #nz #iNaturalistNZ

Watch out: the weather is warming and the American ragwort aphids are *multiplying*.

American ragwort aphids specialise on Senecio plants, of which NZ has many species, including some threatened endemic species.

The aphid arrived in NZ (somehow) in 2023, and has since got to work munching on our plants. The American aphids are also now being tended and protected by exotic Australian ants.

In the South Island these aphids are still restricted to Christchurch city (at least based on observations on #iNaturalist and #GBIF).

It would be great if you could keep a look out for them in other places. They're the only big black aphid in NZ (black bodies and legs).

Here are three of my observations of them from this month.

#aphids #PlantInsectInteractions #herbivory #BiologicalInvasions #NZ #Christchurch #iNaturalistNZ #insects #entomology

https://inaturalist.nz/taxa/453265-Aphis-lugentis

#NewSpecies!
New aphid from #china just showed up:

Indomasonaphis polygoni

Treatment: https://treatment.plazi.org/id/1406578A-DF70-5E8E-9667-92219AAED55D
Publication: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1253.157130
#ZooKeys #IndomasonaphisPolygoni

#FAIRdata
#science #OA #openaccess #biology #taxonomy #ecology #biodiversity #nature #wildlife #conservation #animals #invertebrates #entomology #insects #aphids

Pest removal

A ladybird makes a meal of aphids in a garden in England, UK. Gardeners preparing for autumn are likely to encounter a surge of ladybirds, thanks to the warm spring and summer temperatures that significantly increased aphid populations – their primary food source.

Photograph: Alamy/PA

#photography
#insects
#ladybird
#aphids