Lost Ladybug Project

The New York State insect is the 9 spotted Ladybug. Ladybugs, both as larvae and adults, make their living eating aphids. Some years ago another species of Ladybug was introduced into the United States and seems to have replaced the 9 spotted species throughout much of its range. The Lost Ladybug project seeks to determine the different species of ladybugs and where they occur in North America. Many folk have contributed photographs and quite recently one of those photographs from Long Island showed the 9 Spotted Ladybug. It turns out that there is a thriving colony of the 9 Spotted Ladybugs on an organic farm on Long Island. Professor John Losey and his group are now looking at interactions between the 9 spotted species and the import to see why one replaced the other.