Ladybug vs Asian Beetle: What’s the Difference?

Ladybugs eat garden pests, but they have a non-native lookalike—the Asian lady beetle. See the difference between a ladybug vs an Asian beetle.

How to Identify a Ladybug vs an Asian Beetle

asian lady beetle vs ladybugBill Johnson
The convergent lady beetle seen here eats pesky insects in gardens throughout North America.

Our native ladybugs are welcome guests in gardens, backyards and farm fields because they nosh on plant-eating insects, like aphids, mites and mealybugs. But the ladybug’s nonnative look-alike, the Asian multicolored lady beetle, has a bad reputation. They’re the bothersome creatures that nudge their way into the warmth of your home during winter. Look for distinctive markings to help you tell the difference between a ladybug vs an Asian beetle.

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Ladybug Features

  • Antennae, near the eyes, help poor-sighted ladybugs smell, taste and feel their way around.
  • Hard shells (elytra) cover and protect the wings. Dots on the left are a mirror image of those on the right.
  • Pronotum is a platelike structure that protects the ladybug’s head. It has two white dashes on top.
  • Short legs secrete poisonous gel if the bug is caught by a predator.
  • Black spots on the orange shell alert predators that this creature tastes bad.
  • The convergent lady beetle eats pesky insects in gardens throughout North America.

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Asian Lady Beetle Features

asian lady beetleistock.com/DE1967
Asian lady beetles have an M shaped marking behind their head
  • You can easily tell Asian lady beetles from other native ladybugs by the marks behind the head. Look for a black “M” shape on the pronotum.

Next, meet more helpful garden beetles you should know.

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Kirsten Schrader
Kirsten is the content director of Birds & Blooms. She's been with the brand in various roles since 2007. She has many favorite birds (it changes with the seasons), but top picks include the red-headed woodpecker, Baltimore oriole and rose-breasted grosbeak. Her bucket list bird is the painted bunting.