Low MALB year!

Has anyone noticed a difference in the amount of multicolored Asian lady beetles (Harmonia axyridis) invading their homes compared to last year?

There is a very simple explanation for this: there was less food!

These lady beetles really did not become established until the soybean aphid became established. Since the establishment of the soybean aphid, there have been many complaints of the lady beetles invading homes during the fall season which results in an unpleasent smell, possible allergies, and for some reason, most people just don't enjoy sharing their homes with 1000's of beetles.

The image above is of soybean aphids we had in the lab over the summer (greatly magnified). The populations of these aphids tend to cycle, meaning that there are years with very high numbers of aphids, and years with very low numbers of aphids. This year there were low numbers of aphids, so the lady beetles did not have as much food, and they were unable produce as much offspring.

So next time you have an intense home invasion of Asian lady beetles, that probably means that the soybean farmers didn't have such a good year either due to the numbers of aphids infesting their crops. Which of course leads to a increase in the amount of insecticide that is sprayed on the soybeans, which isn't good for the environment, our own health, or the growers wallets.