Tiny Black Ladybug Species Spotted
Recently I opened up a pack of strawberries that I bought from Trader Joe’s and I was looking through the package to pick out the bad ones. I looked down and there was a little beetle on the side of one of the strawberries and I thought it was some sort of pest beetle. On closer inspection it turned out to be a ladybug. What ladybug species it was, I wasn’t immediately sure. This was the first time I have encountered this type of ladybug.
This is a very tiny ladybug species as you can see from the pictures. It’s all black with four orange spots on its outer wings and it has two orange markings on the pronotum.
I immediately grabbed my camera and started taking pictures of the little black critter while it was asleep. It had been in my refrigerator for a day or two so he or she was in a dormant state and easy to pose for pictures. It was only a matter of minutes before this tiny black ladybug woke up and wanted to head outside.
I have sent some of the pictures over to bugguide.net for identification purposes. There are a lot of experienced and amateur entomologists who volunteer their time identifying insects there.
This is the second ladybug we’ve had in the last few weeks that has hitchhiked into our house on some fruits and vegetables and survived the process of being packaged, passed through groceries, hot cars and refrigerated. These little ladybugs are resilient little creatures. Read about our other little hitchiking ladybug here.
Ladybug Species Identified!
The volunteers at bugguide.net as well as the wonderful crew at the lost ladybug project have gotten back to me and confirmed that this little ladybug species is Hyperaspis quadrioculata.
Look closely next time you see a little beetle type bug, you never know, it might be a ladybug!
March 18th, 2011 at 5:08 pm
I recently saw 3 black ladybugs in my front yard. They were not small though. They were normal size with only 2 orange spots. There is a little colony of ladybugs on the bushes outside. There is quite a variety of color from insect to insect. I have never seen such a variety of color and spots before.
March 19th, 2011 at 7:19 am
What your describing sounds like the twice-stabbed ladybird. There is another ladybug that can also mimic this appearance well and it is Harmonia Axyridis, the multi-colored asian lady beetle. The asian ladybug can take on a variety of colors and spot patterns. If there is a colony of them and the are varying greatly in color and spot pattern there is a good chance it is asian ladybugs.
April 22nd, 2011 at 5:58 pm
This morning our patio, outside brick walls and patio doors are covered with a tiny black beetle. Some of the beetles have an orange dot around its rear. Are these lady bugs? If not, what are they and why are there so many at one time covering everything?
April 22nd, 2011 at 8:36 pm
Hi Cindy,
Thank you for visiting our site. It is really hard to say for sure if they are ladybugs or what they are without a photo. You could always send a picture here!
June 3rd, 2011 at 6:59 pm
please i really really need more info about black lady bugs
June 27th, 2011 at 6:25 pm
I have some of these on my wine and roses bushes and they are eating the sap and killing my bushes off. is there something i can do to get them to leave without killing them off? Please email me [email hidden]
March 14th, 2012 at 11:58 pm
Have have the same problem as tony. I came home from work today and my front door and windows were covered by black ladybugs and I do have 1 rose bush in the front near my yard near the door. I recently purchased this home. What can I do get rid of them.
March 28th, 2012 at 6:30 pm
You could use a shop vaccuum and suck them up if the problem is severe. If they are actual ladybugs on your roses then they are likely helping the plant either by getting rid of bugs or mildew depending on the species. Also things like sealing cracks in windows with weather stripping, foam sealant, and spreading diatomaceous earth around your homes perimeter will help keep insects in general away from entering. While we are friends of ladybugs here you can also control swarms and invasions with items like insectisidal soap and ladybug light traps found online and at hardware stores.