I didn’t pay enough attention when I heard about a lady bug look-alike that is invading gardens. But I left a hanging Christmas cactus outside to drip dry after watering and found this want-to-be hitch hiker on my plant before bringing it inside.
Is this a natural predator for pests and if so is it munching on a pest I can’t yet see? Or is this a bad character that I don’t want visiting?
A posting bot is requiring info about lighting. My plants are either under Sansi artificial lights, 24×7, for 14 hours daily or are at windows with bright indirect light.
by ILRoots
2 Comments
I say asian lady beetle. Looks to have an m shaped spot on its head.
Even Asian lady beetles are great predators, since they are still technically ladybugs. The only way it is “bad” for your garden is that they push out the native species of ladybugs. Otherwise they will help you by hunting for tiny bugs that will do harm to your plants.
This does look like an Asian lady beetles because of the M shape on the head. Their spots are also smaller and can be irregular, and they are more of a burnt orange color compared to the nice red of native ladybug species.