Outdoors Brag Board

Ladybugs swarm

Posted on: July 31, 2007 1:54 pm

Brag Description:

Ladybird beetles (Hippodamia convergens) aggregated on a log on MoscowMountain in April after hibernating over winter. They would soon disperse to cultivated areas, where they and their larval offspring feed on aphids. This dispersal behavior is obligatory prior to feeding, so it is futile to collect them at this time ... they may just fly away from your garden! Commercial suppliers condition them before being sold to minimize this behavior. I have seen impressive flights of this beetle dispersing from the Sierra Nevadato the Sacramento valley, a distance of many miles.

Photo by Mal Furniss, Moscow.