The convergent lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens Guérin-Méneville, is among the most common lady beetle species throughout North America and is an important natural enemy of aphids, scales, thrips, and other soft-bodied insects. It will also feed on pollen and nectar from flowers when prey is scarce. This species can be found in habitats ranging from grasslands, forests, agricultural fields, gardens, and natural parks. It is one of the few natural enemies that are currently wild-collected from mass aggregations for distribution to the pest control industry. This 5-page fact sheet was written by Luis F. Aristizábal and Steven P. Arthurs, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, June 2014.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1037
Tag: coccinellidae
Ladybird beetles – recent immigrants to Florida (Insecta: Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)
Since the publication of the Florida beetles checklist, a few ladybird beetles have become established in the state, some well-known and extensively documented and some little noticed and previously unreported. It is these latter species that are covered in this publication. All of the listed species are represented by voucher specimens in the Florida State Collection of Arthropods. Species previously known from Florida are reported by Frank and Mizell (2012) with emphasis on natural history. This 5-page fact sheet was written by Michael C. Thomas and Orland J. Blanchard, Jr., and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, October 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1012