Asian lady beetles swarm the Maritimes this fall

Some Maritimers have mixed views on the number of Asian lady beetles flying around the East Coast this fall.

Experts say they could be here due to the warm weather, but they may also be looking for a place to stay this winter.

David McCorquodale, biology professor emeritus with Cape Breton University, says Asian lady beetles are quite common this October.

"Right now, the really common orange beetles sometimes with black spots we are seeing is the Asian lady beetle. Ladybugs is just another name for it,” says McCorquodale. “They are really common now partly because of the time of year and partly because of the weather we have had.”

Some people think the beetles are nuisances.

“They are all in my backyard, I don't even want to sit out because they are just like flying and hitting me,” says Linda Saunders, Halifax resident.

An Asian lady beetle is pictured. (Source: Bill Dicks/CTV News Atlantic)

These beetles are often confused with seven-spotted beetles, commonly known as ladybugs, which tend to disappear from this region around the fall.

“They have been feeding on aphids all summer. There have been multiple generations, maybe half a dozen or 10, so we have a lot of them right now,” says McCorquodale.

Asian lady beetles arrived in North America in the 1970s. They tend to be most active from May to October. Their food source consists of aphids. And for those worried, they are not dangerous.

“The Asian lady beetle tends to be oranger, although they can also be dark red. They can even be a little bit yellowish. It’s very variable as to how many spots they have. They can have none. They can be almost all black or they can have half a dozen. They can have 15, they can have 25. So, you don’t identify them by counting the spots,” says McCorquodale.

McCorquodale says one way to identify the Asian lady beetle is to look behind their eyes for a symbol.

“It’s call the pronotum, it’s the shield that they have there. They almost always have an ‘M’ shaped black mark there and that’s one of the easiest ways to zone in that you are dealing with an Asian lady beetle,” he says.

"I think they are fantastic. They are great for gardens. I think they help out with aphid control and they're cute,” says Monica Dirmeikis, Halifax resident.

“I love them, and I love the colours. And they are quite unique, so I enjoy them and appreciate them,” says Michael Decuollo, visiting from Philadelphia. "You let them live, set them free.”