Lady Beetle Pupa

2024 March 3

So, we were up at an annual get-together with friends up by Eagle Harbor on July 22, 2023. This is a large enough group that we bring in port-a-potties. And after a few hours, I was told that there was an odd insect-related thing on the inside wall of the port-a-potty, and could I have a look at it to confirm that it wasn’t a tick or bedbug or something?

As it turns out, this is a pretty easy one for anyone who has seen them before: it is a lady beetle pupa.

So no, it is nothing to be concerned about. As for which lady beetle it might be, it was pretty large for a lady beetle, suggesting one of the “Giant Lady Beetles” in the genus Anatis. And looking at their pupae, that does look like a pretty good match.

Unfortunately, while the pupa of the 15-spotted lady beetle is very good match, the eye spotted lady beetle pupa looks pretty much identical, and I know that both of them live around here because I have previously photographed the adults. So I am pretty sure it is one of those two, but unsure which.

Anyway, the larvae of all species of lady beetles are carnivorous, and are renowned for chowing down on aphids and other small garden pests. These giant lady beetles are big enough to devour most caterpillars and sawflies, too. The adults will also take fruit juices and nectar in the fall to store up energy for overwintering.

The pupae, of course, don’t eat anything. But they will!

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