Painted Lady Beetle © Rob Curtis

Painted Ladybird © Kent McFarland

Painted Ladybird © VCE

The Painted Lady Beetle is native to North American boreal forests. It’s primarily found in the northwest, however scattered records of it exist in the northeast as well. It feeds primarily on aphids and adelgids.

Status

Native

Ranked as Apparently Secure in New Brunswick, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Yukon; and Secure in British Columbia.

Last Seen

2021

Fun Fact

The Painted Lady Beetle is reliably identified by the patterns on its underside, since its wing color patterns are extremely variable.

Identification

The Painted Lady Beetle is between 3.3 and 5.3 mm in length.

Habitat

In or near boreal forests, primarily older mixed coniferous forests. One study predominantly found Painted Lady Beetles on Pine Trees. Painted Lady Beetles seem to have a preference for pines and other conifers.

General Range

Used to be found widely across North America, now primarily concentrated in boreal forests in the western United States. Distribution in the east is patchy.

Food

Conifer aphids (Cinara sp.) and Balsam Twig Aphids (Mindarus abietinus). Likely eats other aphids and scale insects as well.

Life History

Painted Lady Beetles can have two generations per year. Eggs are laid in mid-May and in mid-July. They are deposited on needles of trees infested with conifer aphids (Cinara sp.). Pupation occurs in fissures in the bark.

More Information

You can find more information about Painted Lady Beetles using the following links:

Vermont Distribution

Visit the iNaturalist Observation Map and Occurrence Records to find out where Painted Lady Beetles have been seen in Vermont.