We are pleased to announce a new article on Featured Creatures!

Take a sneak peek with this excerpt from the article: The convergent lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens Guérin-Méneville, is among the most common lady beetle species throughout North America and is an important natural enemy of aphids, scales, thrips, and other soft-bodied insects. It will also feed on pollen and nectar from flowers when prey is scarce. This species can be found in habitats ranging from grasslands, forests, agricultural fields, gardens, and natural parks. It is one of the few natural enemies that are currently wild-collected from mass aggregations for distribution to the pest control industry.

Figure 1. Mass of convergent lady beetles in Alamo Peak, Otero Co., NM. Photograph by Jerry Oldenettel.

Available at: http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/BENEFICIAL/convergent_lady_beetle.html

Authors: Luis F. Aristizábal and Steven P. Arthurs, Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida

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