Lady beetles
Coccinellidae
Beetle
Family-level entry for the lady beetles (ladybugs), whose adults and larvae are predators of aphids, scale insects, and other soft-bodied pests on garden and crop plants. Both life stages consume aphids in large numbers, making the family one of the most recognized beneficial-insect groups for aphid-prone plantings. Many species overwinter as adults in leaf litter, under bark, beneath stones, and inside hollow plant stems, often clustering in aggregations, so leaving leaf litter and standing dead stems through winter provides shelter habitat.
Conservation
The family is mixed: several introduced species (such as the sevenspotted lady beetle, Coccinella septempunctata, and the multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis) are now widespread and abundant in North America, while some native species have declined sharply. The ninespotted lady beetle (Coccinella novemnotata), once among the most common coccinellids in the northeastern U.S. and now extremely rare, is profiled by the Xerces Society as an at-risk beetle; its decline is associated with the establishment of introduced coccinellids. There is no family-wide IUCN, Xerces Red List tier, or USFWS listing — status is species-specific.
Plants in the catalog
Foliage plants · 1
Lady beetles (adults and larvae) are generalist aphid predators that work conifer foliage where aphids and adelgids occur, so silver fir can host them as a feeding ground. Graded plausible — like the lacewings, the relationship is with the insect prey, not a floral reward, since this is a wind-pollinated tree with no nectar or showy flowers.
Shelter plants · 20
As a primary winter host of the black bean aphid, spindle reliably harbours aphid colonies that ladybirds and their larvae feed on — the same trait that makes it a poor neighbour for a vegetable plot makes it valuable for predatory beneficial insects.
Range
Coccinellidae occur across North America. Native species ranges vary; the declining ninespotted lady beetle historically occupied much of the continental U.S. and southern Canada.