Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle - spotless form

The multicolored Asian lady beetle, also known as ladybird or ladybug, is an important predator that consumes aphids, thrips, mites & scale insects on trees, shrubs, and agricultural crops.
The name 'multicolored' refers to the many different color forms of the adult lady beetles. Color variants found in the U.S. are different shades of yellow, orange, or red, either with or without black spots on the wing covers. On the white pronotum, many have several spots that fuse into a "M" shape.
The multicolored Asian lady beetle is native to Asia. During the late 1970s - early 1980s, tens of thousands were intentionally released by the U. S. Department of Agriculture in an effort to control insect pests that injure trees. The release program was eventually discontinued because there were indications it was not surviving in the U.S.. It is now known to be well established in the U.S., where it currently thrives in many parts of the Midwest, East, South, and Northwest. This species is widely sold commercially for aphid control throughout the U.S.. This nonnative species appears to be displacing some of our native lady beetles.