Crowdsourced Help for Ladybugs

Ladybugs are some of our best friends in the insect world. They are voracious predators of aphids and other plant-damaging insects, but two of the major species of Ladybugs in North America appear to be in decline. The Lost Ladybug project at Cornell University is conducting a study to learn more, and you can help.

To be able to help the nine spotted ladybug and other ladybug species they need to have detailed information on which species are still out there and how many individual insects are around. Entomologists at Cornell can identify the different species but there are too few of them to sample in enough places to find the really rare ones. They need us to be their legs, hands and eyes. This is a great summer science project for both kids and adults! You can learn, have fun and help save these important critters. It’s also a great excuse to get away from your keyboard and spend a day outdoors.

If you find a ladybug in your garden or while on a hike, snap a picture and make a note of the time and location. Then visit The Lost Ladybug Project’s web page and upload the photo. You’ll help the team at Cornell learn more about where the different species live, and help our spotted friends as well.