Growing Up Harmonia

Day 284: Over the last week or so, I have had the privilege (if the word is appropriate in this context) to observe an insect species go through its lifecycle from larva to pupa to adult. Unlike butterflies and moths which take weeks or months to complete their transformation, Harmonia axyridis (Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle) zipped through the process in a very short span of time. One day, I saw weird, creepy, crawly things all over the leaves of my pussywillow. I didn't check on it the next day, but by then BugGuide.com's experts had identified the insect for me, and on the second day following my observation of the larvae, many of them had begun to pupate. Some were already showing their adult colouration, while others were only visible as an orange lump inside a thin, transparent husk. The next day, most of the pupae had fully matured and had flown off to do whatever it is Harmonia axyridis does (eating aphids, I presume...that's why they were introduced here), but I was able to find a few adult specimens to complete this triptych of the lifecycle.

Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle, Harmonia Axyridis

Day 273: "Something is eating my pussywillow!" Closer investigation gave me the creepin' wim-wams. There were fearsome-looking larvae on several of the leaves, black with orange spots and forked spines, the kind of thing that'd give you a heart attack if you found it walking on your arm. But what were they? I skipped right over the section on ladybugs in my insect books, certain that I'd find it or something related to it on a different page. When that failed, I followed the next reasonable path: I submitted a photo to BugGuide.net, and within 24 hours, one of their experts had identified it as Harmonia axyridis, commonly known as the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle. It was a "ladybug" after all. This morning, larvae (inset) and pupae (upper) were present on the tree.

BugGuide advises that "very few people encountering one (of the larvae) for the first time would recognize it as a 'young ladybug.' It grows to be larger than the eventual adult size." Harmonia axyridis was brought to the US from Asia as a control for aphids, and was introduced in Washington between 1978-1982. According to BugGuide, the adults are highly variable in colour with spots varying from absent to as many as 18 (no help there!). They also mention that they (presumably larvae and adults) will take "exploratory bites" if handled, and I can personally attest to that as far as the adults are concerned. Shortly after I moved here, I found my shower infested with them one morning, and as I was capturing them for release outdoors, I got nipped. Although I had no idea what they were at the time, I realized in that moment that this was no ordinary ladybug keeping me from my ablutions. And now that I know what they look like when they're babies, I'll give them wider berth.

Multicoloured Asian Ladybird, Harmonia Axyridis

Day 206: Harmonia axyridis has more common names than it has spot patterns, notably "Hallowe'en ladybug," "harlequin lady beetle," "multicoloured Asian ladybird" and assorted variations on those and other themes. It can appear in an entirely red or orange form, or it can have as many as 22 spots on its shell. The identifying feature which sorts it out in the field is its size. It is quite possibly the largest ladybug you'll see in the Pacific Northwest. A typical specimen (i.e., one which shows numerous distinctive markings) will have a white pronotum marked with black, as is the case here.

Introduced to the US to help control aphids and scale insects, these ladybirds frequently appear in large numbers during the spring and fall. Despite their abundance, they are not considered an invasive species, although anyone who's ever picked 38 of them off their shower walls before having a wash as I once did might disagree with that assessment.