Yes, There Are Good and Bad Ladybugs—Here’s How to Attract the Right Kind to Your Yard

If you spot a cute, red, polka-dotted insect on your windowsill or plants this summer, there’s a decent chance it’s a species of ladybug known as the Asian lady beetle—and it’s not necessarily good luck for you or your home. Widely considered a pest in the United States, the Asian lady beetle is an aggressive cousin to the more beneficial types of ladybugs, and it may start invading your house in the fall.

Want to learn how to quickly ID an Asian lady beetle and prevent it from entering your house? Read on to learn all about Asian lady beetles versus other types of ladybugs, and how to bring the good kind to your yard.

What’s the Difference Between Asian Lady Beetles and Other Ladybugs?

The ladybug family is massive—there are about 6,000 species worldwide, including more than 450 species native to North America, grouped under the scientific name Coccinellidae—and they’re all technically beetles. “The use of the term ladybug seems to be an American quirk, as people in most other countries correctly call all of them lady beetles,” says conservationist Scott Black, executive director of the Xerces Society.

The Asian lady beetle, also known as the multicolored Asian lady beetle, is a particular species from Asia that was introduced to the U.S. decades ago to control pests in agricultural areas. “Because they’re not native, they have fewer natural enemies to keep populations in check,” Black explains. “They’re now found in most (maybe all) U.S. states.”

How Can I Tell If It’s an Asian Lady Beetle?

Ladybug species vary hugely in appearance (some are blue, some are yellow, some have stripes instead of spots—it’s a diverse group).

But Asian lady beetles look like your typical ladybug: They generally have a reddish color with black spots. That makes them difficult to distinguish from the seven-spotted ladybug, the nine-spotted ladybug, the convergent ladybug, and all the other kinds of ladybugs with that similar ladybug look you might see in your garden.

There is one clue, though, and it’s near the head. “You can tell it’s an Asian lady beetle if it has an M formed by spots just behind the head,” Black says. (In the photo above, you can see the M shape distinctly.)

Also, Asian lady beetles tend to congregate in large groups. “If you have lots of lady beetles congregating in your home, they are almost certainly Asian lady beetles,” Black says.

Why Is This Variety Considered “Bad”?

This variety of beetles is seen as undesirable partly because of the above-mentioned congregation. “I don’t like to call any animal ‘bad,’ because they’re just doing what they evolved to do, but Asian lady beetles can be a major nuisance in homes,” Black says. “They seek sheltered places in the fall and winter, like your attic, garage, or the main part of your house. When they’re disturbed while in these large aggregations, they can release an unpleasant smell, stain furniture, and even give a small bite.”

Ecologically, the Asian lady beetle is also causing some problems because it’s muscling out other species. “Through competition and predation, they’re thought to be partly responsible for the decline in one or more of the native North American lady beetle species,” Black says. (The seven-spotted ladybug, native to Europe, is another invasive species that may be leading to the decline.)

Will They Harm My Garden?

No. Just like all ladybugs, Asian lady beetles are useful in the garden. “They help control aphids and other soft-bodied pest insects. One lady beetle can eat up to 5,000 insects in its lifetime,” Black says.

In fact, Black says that if you see an Asian lady beetle in your yard, you should just leave it alone. “They’re so widespread, there’s nothing we can do to change that. Asian lady beetles are now part of our landscapes, so we need to learn to accept them and appreciate the benefits they bring.”

How Can I Keep These Beetles Out of My House?

They may be useful in the garden, but you probably don’t want them to move in with you. While there are safe and gentle ways to remove lady beetles from inside your home, prevention is best.

“Sealing cracks and openings is the most permanent way of preventing lady beetles from entering buildings. The time to do this is in late spring or summer,” Black says. “Cracks should be sealed around windows, doors, soffits, fascia boards, utility pipes, and wires, etc., with caulk or other sealants.” 

How Can I Attract “Good” Ladybugs?

It’s important to support native North American ladybugs because these species have a healthy relationship with our ecosystem, and they’re rapidly disappearing.

In your yard, avoid insecticides, and grow lots of native flowers, Black says. “Plant it and they will arrive and thrive. Lady beetles most often visit shallow flowers that have nectar and pollen that is accessible to their mouthparts, such as golden Alexanders, blanketflower, and yarrow.” Yes, the nonnative lady beetle species will arrive too, but creating a healthy habitat for all of them (and the birds that eat them) is the best thing you can do, Black says.

Also, a word of warning: You may be tempted to buy ladybugs, which some garden centers sell in bags, but Black says this is a bad idea—even though they’re the “good” kind (a native species common in the western U.S. known as convergent lady beetles).

“The lady beetles sold at garden stores have been collected from the wild in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, which is likely causing a decline in their population. Also, moving them and then releasing them can spread diseases that hurt other native lady beetles. And they don’t even help control pests. When you do release them, their instinct is to migrate, so they simply fly away.”