As of: April 3, 2024, 7:30 p.m
By: Joana Lück
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The line between pest and beneficial is sometimes difficult to see. This is also the case with the Asian lady beetle. How to recognize him.
Ladybugs are actually considered beneficial insects in the garden. At least the most famous of them, the seven-spot ladybird. Because it feeds on aphids, it is particularly valued and is also available as larvae in many online shops. It looks very similar to the Asian lady beetle, also known as the harlequin lady beetle. But the beetle, which immigrated to Germany around 2002, does not enjoy a particularly good reputation.
Pest or beneficial?
The Asian lady beetle is considered a pest. © Wirestock/Imago
The Asian lady beetle is actually also a beneficial insect because it eats up a lot of lice. What's the problem then, one might think? If the Asian lady beetle does not find enough aphids, it destroys larvae of butterflies or gall midges, as
My Beautiful Garden
explains. Larvae of the seven-spot ladybird are also on the menu. Another danger, according to
Kaiser Pest Control,
is the preference for grapes. This is why the ladybug is particularly feared by winegrowers.
This is how you can recognize the Asian lady beetle:
Asian lady beetles do not have a fixed number of dots on their shield, it varies from 0 to 21, according to
My Beautiful Garden
.
The harlequin ladybird is slightly larger and wider than the native seven-spot ladybird.
The two ladybirds can be most clearly distinguished by their heads: the Asian ladybird has a black or white “W” on a white or black head, while the ladybird from here has a pitch-black head shield, according to
NABU
.
The beetles from Asia also emit an unpleasant smell when threatened, similar to stink bugs.
You can find even more exciting garden topics in the regular newsletter from our partner 24garten.de.
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In autumn, ladybugs, spiders and other animals like to come into the house. The Asian lady beetle is far more aggressive. You can get them outside with a sock trick. In the garden, the animals usually live on trees and bushes.