Orange Ladybug – The Asian Lady Beetle

The orange ladybug most people see is the Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis), also called the multicolored Asian lady beetle or, in Britain, the harlequin ladybird. It is a hungry hunter of aphids, but it is also famous for crowding into houses in autumn. A few other ladybugs are orange too, and you will meet some of them below.

Asian lady beetle (orange ladybug) Quick Facts

Common name	Asian lady beetle (orange ladybug)
Scientific name	Harmonia axyridis
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Class	Insecta
Order	Coleoptera
Family	Coccinellidae
Genus	Harmonia
Type	Insect (lady beetle)
Diet	Aphids, scale insects and other soft-bodied insects
Habitat	Fields, gardens, orchards, forests; shelters in buildings in winter
Native range	East Asia; introduced to North America, Europe and beyond
Size	About 5-8 mm (1/4 in)
Colours	Usually orange to red with 0-19 black spots; sometimes black
Special feature	Black M- or W-shaped mark behind the head

Where Did the Asian Lady Beetle Come From?

The Asian lady beetle is native to Asia, including China, Korea, Japan, eastern Russia and Siberia. Because it eats so many aphids and scale insects, people released it in North America and Europe to protect crops and trees. In the United States, the first wild population was found near New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1988, and the beetle soon spread across most of the country.

It was later carried to many other places too. In North America it is sometimes nicknamed the ‘Halloween ladybug’, because it often appears in big numbers in October.

What Does It Look Like?

Asian lady beetles are about 5 to 8 mm (around 1/4 inch) long and dome-shaped. As the name ‘multicolored’ suggests, their colors vary a lot. Most are orange to red, but some are yellow or even black with red spots. They can have anywhere from no spots up to 19 black spots.

The best way to recognize one is to look just behind the head. On the white area there (the pronotum) is a black mark shaped like the letter M, or a W if you look from the other direction.

What Does It Eat?

Both the adults and the spiky larvae are fierce predators. They eat aphids, scale insects and other soft-bodied insects that damage crops and trees. A single beetle can eat dozens of aphids a day. This is why farmers and gardeners released them to help control populations of aphids. However, when food is short, they also eat the eggs and larvae of other ladybugs, which has caused some native ladybug species to decline.

Orange Ladybug Behavior

Asian lady beetles live outdoors for most of the year. In autumn, they prepare for a winter rest called diapause. Large groups fly toward sunny, light-colored walls, often on warm afternoons in September and October, and look for cracks to crawl into. In nature they shelter in rocky cliffs and tree hollows; around people, they slip into attics, walls and window frames.

Inside, they do not breed, eat food, or damage wood or fabric. On warm winter days, though, some wake up and wander toward windows looking for light and warmth. A group of ladybugs is sometimes called a ‘loveliness of ladybugs’.

Do Orange Ladybugs Bite?

Asian lady beetles cannot sting and do not spread diseases. They do sometimes give a little pinch with their jaws, which can feel like a tiny prick but rarely breaks the skin.

When they feel threatened, they release a smelly yellow fluid from their leg joints. It contains bitter chemicals that help defend themselves against predators. This fluid can stain walls and fabrics. A few people are allergic to the beetles and may get itchy eyes, sneezing or a rash.

Ladybugs are not poisonous to people, but pets are a different story. If a dog eats many of them, the beetles can stick to the inside of its mouth and the fluid can irritate a dog’s mouth, so contact a vet if your pet seems unwell after eating them.

How to Keep Them Out of Your Home

Prevention works best. These steps are safe and simple:

• Before autumn, seal cracks and gaps around windows, doors, roofs, eaves, siding and pipes.
• Repair torn window and vent screens.
• Vacuum up beetles that get inside. Put a stocking inside the vacuum hose to catch them, then release them outdoors.
• Avoid squashing them, which releases the smelly, staining fluid.
• Planting trees that shade the sunny south and west sides of a house can make it less attractive to them.

Light traps made for indoor use can also catch beetles that wake up in winter. Spraying insecticides indoors is not recommended, as dead beetles in wall spaces can attract other pests.

Why Are Some Ladybugs Orange?

A ladybug’s colors come from its genes. Bright red, orange and yellow are warning colors. They tell birds and other predators that the beetle tastes bad. Different species have evolved different shades and patterns, and in some, like the Asian lady beetle, there is a lot of variety even within one species.

Not every orange beetle is a ladybug. For example, the squash beetle is a plant-eating ladybug relative, and some yellowish cucumber beetles can look similar at first glance.

Other Orange Ladybugs

Orange Ladybird (Halyzia sedecimguttata)

This pretty beetle is orange with 12 to 16 white spots and pale, see-through edges to its wing covers and pronotum. It is about 5 to 6 mm long. It lives across much of Europe and Asia, from Britain to Japan.

In Britain it was once mostly found in ancient woodlands, but in recent decades it has spread to parks, hedges, gardens and woodland edges with trees such as sycamore and ash. Unlike most ladybugs, it mainly eats powdery mildew, a fungus that grows on leaves. Its diet consists of Erysiphaceae, the family of fungi that cause mildew. It is active from spring to autumn, and it often comes to lights at night.

Cream-Spot Ladybird (Calvia quatuordecimguttata)

The cream-spot ladybird is a small orange-brown to maroon beetle, about 4 to 5 mm long, usually with 14 cream-colored spots. It is sometimes grouped with yellow ladybugs because of its pale spots. It is found across Europe and Asia and also lives in North America.

It lives in hedgerows and deciduous trees, as well as in gardens, parks and woodland edges, where it feeds on aphids and psyllids (tiny sap-sucking insects). It can be confused with the eighteen-spot ladybird (Myrrha octodecimguttata), which lives mostly on pine trees. In winter it shelters in leaf litter and bark crevices.

Where Do Orange Ladybugs Live?

Orange ladybugs can be found in a variety of habitats, including fields, gardens, grasslands, hedges and forests. They usually live where their food is plentiful. In winter, many look for sheltered spots such as leaf litter, tree bark and rock crevices, while others, like the Asian lady beetle, may move into buildings. Some animals truly hibernate in winter; ladybugs enter a similar resting state to survive the cold. You can read more about animals that hibernate.

Telling Males and Females Apart

It is hard to tell female and male orange ladybugs apart without a magnifying glass. Females are often slightly larger. With a close look at the underside, scientists can see small differences in the shape of the last body segments. During mating, the male climbs onto the female’s back.

Bottom Line

Orange ladybugs are fascinating insects and an important part of the ecosystem. Many of them help farmers and gardeners by eating aphids and other pests. The Asian lady beetle can be a nuisance indoors and a problem for native ladybugs, but it is harmless to people. If you find one, gently move it outside and enjoy a closer look.

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Asian lady beetle (orange ladybug) FAQs