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CIRCULAR 270, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Lady beetles are nearly always abundant in orchards, and the beetles 

 and their young feed on the aphids which may be on the trees or in the 

 cover crops. There are many species, one of the commonest being the 

 convergent lady beetle (Hippodamia convergens Guer.) (fig. 75), a red 

 beetle with black head and black spots on the back. Some species are 



plain red, others are black with two 

 or more red spots, and there are 

 also small black lady beetles (fig. 

 76) that feed chiefly on red spiders 

 and scale insects. Most of these 

 species lay yellow or orange-colored 

 cigar-shaped eggs, which stand on 

 end in clusters. The young, or 

 larvae, are usually black or gray, 

 with various red or orange mark- 

 ings. Some of them are covered 

 with a white waxy secretion, giving them the appearance of mealybugs. 

 Although most of the lady beetles are conspicuous, they are not 

 molested by birds, possibly because they have a disagreeable taste. 

 The larvae of syrphus flies are very common enemies of aphids and 

 are most often found in colonies of the woolly aphid. Frequently 



Figure 75.— The convergent lady beetle: a, Adult; 

 b, pupa; c, larva. Three times natural size. 



Figure 76.— A lady beetle, Stethorus picipes 

 Casey, an enemy of red spiders. Forty times 

 natural size. 



Figure 77 — 

 Larva of a 

 syrphus fly 

 (Allogr apla 

 obliqua Say). 

 Five times 

 natural size. 



they destroy the colonies entirely. These larvae or maggots (fig. 77) 

 are nearly one half inch long when full grown, yellowish or grayish, 

 and often with a stripe down the back. The body is widest behind, 

 and the narrow head is restlessly moved about as the maggot searches 

 for food. No legs are evident. The adult syrphus flies (fig. 78) are 

 usually black, striped with yellow, and may be mistaken for wasps or 

 bees. They fly actively and often poise in mid-air before darting down 

 to a colony of aphids to deposit their eggs. The eggs are elongated, 

 dirty whitish, and are laid singly among the aphids. 



The young of lacewing flies (fig. 79) are effective enemies of aphids, 

 and also feed on other insects, such as red spiders, newly hatched 



