North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Ruth Dykstra <ruthnafex@drdykstra.us>]

   Maybe our native ladybugs don't eat fruit, but the Asian Ladybugs
   that have been very numerous late in the summer the last few years
   definitely do.  I have had significant fruit damage on the
   raspberries.  With the apples and asian pears  the ladybugs enlarge
   any tiny bird peck so much that the fruit can appear to be stuffed
   with ladybugs inside a hollow behind the skin.  I grow Reliance
   peach so it ripens before the ladybugs are so numerous.  They also
   can bite humans.  It doesn't break the skin so it has no
   after-effects, but it is painful while they do it.  Someone told me
   that they don't bite, they pinch.  If I pinched someone with my
   mouth parts they would propably call it a bite!  We also have yellow
   jackets and bald-faced hornets, but mostly on the drops.  No-one has
   been stung in the orchard yet, When I pick up the drops they just
   happily move to the bucket and continue their sweet feast.

   Ruth
   Northern Illinois, Zone 5