What is this bug (looks like ladybug on steriods)

[journey11]

Is it soft and squishy or does it have a hard shell like a ladybug? Could be a potato beetle larvae. They are orange, fat and squishy with a row of black spots down the sides. I can't really tell from the photo.

ETA: Could this be your little buddy? Tortoise shell beetle

 

[baymule]

It has a hard shell. I looked up tortise shell beetles and it is not transparent. It is definately orange with tiny black dots and crunchy when stomped on.

 

[Adambelmont321]

I don't actually know their names. But I am also facing these

 

[Danny015]

I am liking the idea of having a few of these, along with a few Mantises to keep their numbers right.

I agree. Mantises are out best arsenal against bugs and pests. It is a green act with savings in our wallet too! By the way guys i don't know if you are familiar with an urban legend that in New Jersey killing praying mantis is illegal.

 

[hoodat]

Actually it was illegal to kill them wheen they were first imported to combat the Japanese beetle but now that they have nativized and spread all over the country that law is no longer necessary. Ironically it turns out they aren't all that fond of Japanese beetles.

 

[vfem]

I saw a lot of these some years back.... then this year we had an explosion of regular ladybugs and I barely saw any of the Asian cousins around. Maybe they don't play nice together?

 

[Smart Red]

I can't speak from experience but I've been told they can bite pretty hard if you mess with them.

I have been told - by an agricultural professional - that Asian lady bird beetles "DO NOT BITE!". Perhaps they don't bite like spiders or mosquitoes do, but in my experience every time they land on me they take a nibble to see if I'm edible or not. There is no bite mark or redness, but they do nibble just that once. By that time, I've felt the "non-bite" and brushed the beetle off so it can land and nibble again.

Like native lady bugs, these beetles are useful against aphids and other soft-bodied arthropods. Unlike the natives, around here these beetles 'swarm' in the fall when the soybeans are harvested, making working or walking without bugs flying into every exposed body part impossible. They also hibernate in any crack or crevasse - a real bane for those in old farm houses - stink if crushed, exude a stain if frightened, and leave poop stains on lamps, walls, curtains, etc.

I abide by the live and let live philosophy as long as they aren't too much of a bother. I've even hired a few from my neighbor's old farmhouse in mid winter to clean up the aphids trying to take over my sun room. Not my favorite insect, but certainly useful to area farmers.

Love, Smart Red

 

[confuzzled]

I can't speak from experience but I've been told they can bite pretty hard if you mess with them.

I have been told - by an agricultural professional - that Asian lady bird beetles "DO NOT BITE!". Perhaps they don't bite like spiders or mosquitoes do, but in my experience every time they land on me they take a nibble to see if I'm edible or not. There is no bite mark or redness, but they do nibble just that once. By that time, I've felt the "non-bite" and brushed the beetle off so it can land and nibble again.

Like native lady bugs, these beetles are useful against aphids and other soft-bodied arthropods. Unlike the natives, around here these beetles 'swarm' in the fall when the soybeans are harvested, making working or walking without bugs flying into every exposed body part impossible. They also hibernate in any crack or crevasse - a real bane for those in old farm houses - stink if crushed, exude a stain if frightened, and leave poop stains on lamps, walls, curtains, etc.

I abide by the live and let live philosophy as long as they aren't too much of a bother. I've even hired a few from my neighbor's old farmhouse in mid winter to clean up the aphids trying to take over my sun room. Not my favorite insect, but certainly useful to area farmers.

Love, Smart Red

I know this is a old post, but I thought I'd chime in anyway (after all I found it on the first page!).

Everything here is what I experienced. We always called them bean beetles, but I don't know why. I guess it's because they liked hanging out on our green bean plants. They don't normally bite per say, but they do feel like they nibble. Once or twice they made me say "ouch!", but for the most part I could pick them up and hold them without any pain. Both orange and red ones (I don't know if the red ones were ladybugs) would swarm into my window every year before we changed the window and moved. The smell, stain, and poop are confirmed by someone with much first hand experience! I wasn't aware they're good for the garden ... good to know.

 

[ducks4you]

If it's an Asian ladybug, I've heard they're easy to catch using sticky fly tape.