The hunt for the rare nine spotted ladybug

[brancsikia339]

Nine spotted ladybugs used to be the most common lady bug in the US. But after the introduction of exotic ladybugs, they declined rapidly. They were thought extinct for 20 YEARS until they were discovered in 2006 on a farm in Amagansett, NY. Some where also found in the western U.S. Between the years of 2000 and 2008, only 5 were found in the whole world. I was lucky enough to be able to partake in this ladybug hunt. Cornell university was hosting the event at that farm in Amagansett. We spent 2 hours tracking and catching ladybugs. In all, we found 9 nine spots!!! AND I FOUND 2 OF THEM!!! I also found a heck load of other species. It was awesome. I also found 2 monarch cats and 8 monarch eggs to boot!!!

 

[CoolMantid]

Nice Monarchs!

I have ladybugs all over my butterfly garden they help keep the aphids off my milkweed.

Did you keep the cats?

 

[brancsikia339]

Yeah I kept the cats. Check the spots on the ladybugs!!! Of they have four on each wing and one in the middle they may be nine spots!!

 

[happy1892]

Congratulations!

 

[brancsikia339]

thanx

 

[brancsikia339]

So the final count let us know how many of each we got. here's the list.

species found

Coccinella septempunctata

Coleomegilla maculata

Harmonia axyridis

Hippodamia sp.

Propylea quatuordecimpunctata

Chilocorus stigma

Coccinella novenmotata

Brachiacantha quadripunctata

 

[Peter Clausen]

I'm a little confused though about the dates and collection numbers. You said only 5 were found between 2000 and 2008, but also made a reference to 9 being collected in 2006. Was the event you attended in 2006? Does that mean 14 were collected in that 8 year range? I'm only curious because it is all very interesting to me and I just didn't get it.

Have you been out looking for them recently?

I set up a blacklight here in my new backyard last Friday night, for the first time. There is a green space behind the house with enough water at the bottom that skunk cabbages grow, etc. We pulled in a handful of ladybug species included a painted ladybug that my friend had never seen. Mostly we just got bunches of those small salt and pepper colored ones that for years I thought were dermestid beetles. The larvae of the latter are small and white and seem to exceed even the numbers of boxelder bugs in my backyard. I had also collected some water boatmen and put them in an aquarium. The aquarium has a screened top and since I left it outside, many of these ladybug larvae are simply crawling through the screen mesh and falling into the water (food for the water boatmen).

 

[brancsikia339]

I'm a little confused though about the dates and collection numbers. You said only 5 were found between 2000 and 2008, but also made a reference to 9 being collected in 2006. Was the event you attended in 2006? Does that mean 14 were collected in that 8 year range? I'm only curious because it is all very interesting to me and I just didn't get it.

Have you been out looking for them recently?

I set up a blacklight here in my new backyard last Friday night, for the first time. There is a green space behind the house with enough water at the bottom that skunk cabbages grow, etc. We pulled in a handful of ladybug species included a painted ladybug that my friend had never seen. Mostly we just got bunches of those small salt and pepper colored ones that for years I thought were dermestid beetles. The larvae of the latter are small and white and seem to exceed even the numbers of boxelder bugs in my backyard. I had also collected some water boatmen and put them in an aquarium. The aquarium has a screened top and since I left it outside, many of these ladybug larvae are simply crawling through the screen mesh and falling into the water (food for the water boatmen).

What I meant was that between 2000-2005 5 were found. In 2006, nine were found. I didn't attend the event in 2006. I attended 2 events this year, one in July and one in August. In the July event, we found 9 nine spots. In the August event, we only found 2.

Propylea quatuordecimpunctata is the salt n' pepper one. They were introduced many years ago to the US.