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when was the last time you saw a ladybug?

Quote:

North America is gradually losing its native ladybugs.

Three once-common domestic species are becoming rare as foreign breeds introduced decades ago — which have different habitats and diets — take over.

Twenty years ago you could find thousands of ladybugs in gardens and near ponds and rivers. Now it's difficult to find any in those environments.

Cornell University entomologist John Losey said he and his research team find plenty of insects amid the weeds and grass of fields in Ithaca, N.Y., but just not any of the once-plentiful ladybugs species such as the nine-spot.

"The nine-spot ladybug is declining to the point where we haven't seen it for almost 10 years," Losey said. "It used to be one of the most common ladybugs, all the way from Texas to Canada."

Another species in decline is the two-spotted ladybug, a carnivorous beetle used to fight infestations of pest insects. A third breed, the transverse ladybug, used to cover the continent but hasn't had a confirmed sighting in Ontario since the 1980s, though it can still be found in the West.

A decade ago, Losey helped launch the Lost Ladybug Project, asking people to become amateur entomologists to help look for ladybugs and send in pictures.

The resulting information was used to create a database of where the different species still exist. They've received more than 12,000 photos from across North America.

Rebecca Rice Smyth, a beetle researcher and the Lost Ladybug Project's co-director of outreach, said the photos are personal, almost affectionate.

"They want to try to help. They think it's an interesting question," she said of the project's civilian contributors. "They like ladybugs."

Ladybugs play a crucial role in controlling garden pests. They eat their weight daily in pests like aphids. While the overall number of them isn't declining in North America, the diversity of species is.

Decades ago the U.S. government brought in several aggressive foreign species for insect control, including the multicoloured Asian ladybug, which was introduced in 1988 from Japan. Another non-native breed that's thriving is the checker spot ladybug, which came from Europe in the 1960s. They appear to be taking over, though it's unclear exactly what's behind the decline in populations of the native insects — it could be competition from foreign bugs, a virus or other environmental factors.

A lot is at stake, Losey said.

"If some conditions change, and you're dominated by one species and that goes down the tubes, then you could have real problems down the road," he said.

Denis Doucet and his 12-year-old daughter Eleanor go hunting for ladybugs on their farm near Moncton, N.B. They're volunteer bug detectives, documenting every ladybug they find to figure out why they are disappearing.

They're "helping to better understand what's going on with them," Doucet said. "If we don't know where they occur, we don't know how to protect them."

Losey hopes the information will help him determine whether the few native ladybugs still around are heading for extinction and if so, whether they can be saved.

sauce: Native ladybugs lose ground to foreign species - Technology & Science - CBC News

i remember seeing tons of them when i was a kid... but its probably been years since i last saw one :okay:

Last time I saw a ladybug was this afternoon. It was taking a nap on my left mirror. I shooed it away.

saw one this afternoon. but ya i agree i used to see a lot more of them..

last week i think.

but for sure not as many as when i was a kid. maybe cause im driving now and not walking everywhere

earlier today. my wife was screaming about some bug in the car. i saw it was a ladybug and i called her an idiot.

I haven't seen one in a long long time.

ionno about you guys, but there's tons crawling around my house all the time

I saw one yesterday. I used to see a lot more though. Maybe it's because I used to walk to school and play in the playground all the time.

damn... ladybugs are like the only bug I actually like

everyday at my work in a business park

Ladybugs are the only insect that I completely don't mind if it lands on my hand or crawls around on my skin. They look so peaceful and gentle. Everything else gives me the willies ... (spiders, bees, etc) ... why can't it be some other bug like freakin' MOSQUITOS that should be on a decline, damn buggers biting me like crazy these past few weeks! :2finger:

hmmm speaking of mosquitos..I havent had a mosquito bite in ages..

ok so first its caring about bears getting caged up now we're whining about lady bugs? anything else?

Quote:

Originally Posted by bloodmack (Post 7544609)

ok so first its caring about bears getting caged up now we're whining about lady bugs? anything else?

Ladybugs are gangsta.

They act as a natural pest deterrent by basically ripping the shit out of tiny, leaf eating bugs like aphids. Some greenhouses use them to ensure a healthy harvest.

Plus, they never (only very rarely) bite humans.

Quote:

While the overall number of them isn't declining in North America, the diversity of species is.

It's not disappearing nor should it be significantly harder to spot one.

I rescued one out on the lake a week ago. As thanks it decided to take a shit on my hand. :fuuuuu:

Quote:

Originally Posted by geeknerd (Post 7544628)

It's not disappearing nor should it be significantly harder to spot one.

But lowering of diversity makes it more susceptible to natural/artificial dangers. Which means that we might not see a decline right now but should something come along, they're all fucked.

well obviously its because they cant reproduce only being a female gender, cmon...

Found one in my food the other day.
it was mixed in with some "choy"

ladybugs are awesome
all I see these days are mosquitoes and spiders :rolleyes:

I saw one at my work a couple weeks back but I havent seen them out side for awhile now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vafanculo (Post 7544474)

earlier today. my wife was screaming about some bug in the car. i saw it was a ladybug and i called her an idiot.

rofl
Posted via RS Mobile

One landed on me last week at work, haven't seen hordes of them though.