Vermont Lady Beetle BioBlitz's Journal

Last week over 60 volunteers searched from backyards to mountaintops as part of the weeklong Vermont Lady Beetle BioBlitz to help find and photograph as many of these charming beetles as possible. The event kicked off the summer survey season for the Vermont Lady Beetle Atlas, a project that aims to find and map the distribution of more than 35 species, including 12 native species that have not been seen for decades. During the one-week event, volunteers visited all 14 of Vermont’s counties and reported 138 lady beetle observations representing a dozen different species.

“This was a great way to kick off the lady beetle season,” said Julia Pupko, VCE ECO AmeriCorps member and Vermont Lady Beetle Atlas Project Coordinator. “Whether it was the drought or extremely hot weather at the beginning of the season, I have been having trouble finding beetles this year. Locating over 12 species in one week was awesome!”

Nearly a third of the species reported were introduced, non-native lady beetles, including a species many of us are familiar with when they invade buildings each fall, the Asian Lady Beetle (Harmonia axyridis). Nearly 50% of the observations reported were Asian Lady Beetles, which are likely more prevalent near homes. The decline of native lady beetles may be linked to the introduction of these non-native species.

Volunteers documented 9 native species during the event. The bright red colored Spotted Lady Beetle and the shiny Ursine Spurleg Lady Beetle were the most observed species. The relatively uncommon Bigeminate Sigil Lady Beetle (Hyperaspis bigeminata) was photographed on the ridgelines of Mt. Mansfield and Camel’s Hump, adding 3 more observations to the mere 5 observations of this species previously reported on iNaturalist in Vermont.

“A big thank you to all the participants of the Vermont Lady Beetle BioBlitz,” said Pupko. “We hope many of you will continue to record lady beetles that you find this summer and help us with the Vermont Lady Beetle Atlas.”

You can find out more about the Vermont Lady Beetle Atlas at the Vermont Atlas of Life website - https://val.vtecostudies.org/projects/lady-beetle-atlas/

Hi Everyone!

Great job so far with the beetles you have all been finding! So far we have 12 species and 67 observations, with some really exciting observations: the Bigeminate Sigil Lady Beetle, Eye-spotted Lady Beetle, and potentially Scymnus fraternus. I am excited to see who else is discovered this week.

Julia

Today is the day! Good luck and hope you all find some fun beetles!

With the Vermont Lady Beetle BioBlitz rapidly approaching this weekend (follow this link to join the BioBlitz!), I have compiled some tips and tricks that I have found helpful for finding and taking identifiable photographs of these speedy beetles.

When should I look for lady beetles?
Lady beetles are similar to many people I know - they are the most active on nice days. If the temperature is 60 degrees F or above with sunny to overcast skies, the beetles will likely be out. If it is cold or rainy, you will have a much lower chance of finding them.

Where should I look for lady beetles?
Lady beetles use all vegetation types, from trees, to shrubs, to herbaceous plants. It is helpful to look for trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants that are visibly loaded with scale insects, aphids, mealy bugs, or other small insects (aka a lady beetle buffet) or show symptoms of high pest loads. For species-specific habitat preferences, check out the species profiles for the lady beetles that have been recorded in Vermont (link here)!

How should I look for lady beetles?
There are a number of different methods that you can use:

1. Visual Search: When using this method, you simply scan vegetation with your eyes, collecting and photographing lady beetles as you go.
2. Sweep netting: This method requires an insect net. You can either buy one (such as this one) or make your own. When sweep netting, you want to sweep the net across vegetation (herbaceous; tree and shrub branches), knocking beetles into the net. (See a video demonstration here). After you walk and sweep for a while, stop, close the net, then scoop insects into clear containers to photograph them.
3. Beat sheeting: Place a sheet under a bush or other vegetation. Shake or gently hit the vegetation overhanging the sheet, knocking insects onto the sheet. Scoop them into containers to photograph.

How do I photograph the beetles well?

1. Having a macro lens for a camera or phone is helpful, but not required.
2. Shading the beetle from the sun to avoid glare can improve the picture.
3. It is important to photograph the beetle from multiple angles (get the head, middle section, wing covers, underside) and take more photos than you think you need, increasing your chances of getting a few good photos.
4. Either measure the beetle, or have a size reference in the photos, especially if it is one of the small, overall black beetles.
5. It can be helpful to bring a cooler and chill the beetles for 5 to 10 minutes - this does not hurt them, it just slows them down!

If you have any questions, leave us a comment or email me at jpupko@vtecostudies.org!