North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Thomas Olenio <tolenio@sentex.net>]

Hello,

This has been mentioned on the list before.  Native and Asian ladybugs primary
food is aphids.  The problem is that after the first frost of autumn, or
when the weather is cooler, the aphids die off.  

I am not sure if Asian ladybugs eat fruit, but I bet they will eat insects
attracted to damaged fruit.  Sort of like blaming the police for being found
at the scene of a crime after it occurred.

I have only seen Asian ladybugs around damaged fruit, most likely dining on bugs I cannot see.

Later,
Tom

Ruth Dykstra wrote:
> 40B72E08.4030108@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
>   
>   
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