Christy Anderson wrote:
>I hope this is true! I find it reassuring that the ladybugs were "bagged"
>in a relatively local area. Recently, I saw a mailing from a Canadian
>conservation group (sorry, don't remember which one) which said they were
>concerned that populations of native lady beetles might be impacted by
>people releasing lady beetles in their gardens that had been imported from
>Europe and Asia. I was stunned. Here we are thinking we are doing a good,
>organic thing, and it still may have an impact an local "wildlife"!

Don't be too reassured. The ones that get bagged in the US could still
easily be asian rather than NA species. I don't think I've seen a native
ladybug around Seattle. (the 7-spot ones are alledged to be an asian
import). I've also read that the ones that congregate in houses are all
imports, not native, but I've lost the reference, and I don't know how
authoritative it was anyway. Anyone know a good reference for ladybug ID?


Allyn Weaks
allyn at cornetto.chem.washington.edu aka allyn at u.washington.edu
Pacific Northwest Native Wildlife Gardening:
http://chemwww.chem.washington.edu/natives/