Soybean aphids out, Asian lady beetles in

A ladybug rests on a tree leaf on campus in Champaign, IL on Tuesday October 20, 2009.
Trevor Greene The Daily Illini

A ladybug rests on a tree leaf on campus in Champaign, IL on Tuesday October 20, 2009.
Trevor Greene The Daily Illini

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The formerly prevalent aphids passed on their visitation rights to Asian lady beetles, the small red "ladybugs" that have taken over Champaign-Urbana.

The lady beetles can be seen all throughout campus, and Phil Nixon, extension entomologist for the University's Department of Crop Sciences, said the aphids caused them to show up in such large quantities.

The lady beetles fed off the soybean aphids, which allowed them to reproduce in copious amounts, Nixon said.

This natural phenomenon occurs annually, but this year is different, Nixon said.

"This year is heavier than last year. We've had years in the past where it's been this bad," Nixon said.

Nixon said the beetles were originally imported to the United States from China in the 1990s to control the production of various bugs, including the soybean aphids. However, their ability to enter buildings through walls was not immediately noticed.

At this point in the season, the lady beetles are looking for a winter shelter on campus, Nixon said. They prefer cliffs, crevices and edges of walls where they will go into a resting period for the season. Since there are no cliffs on campus, the lady beetles will find a home on various building walls, usually of a light color. Nixon added that they will put up a fight with local residents.

"Lady beetles have a very good defense," he said. "They can bleed on command, and their blood stinks to high heaven."

As many may already know, these bugs can bite but cannot puncture someone through the skin, Nixon said.

"Yesterday, I was riding my bike back to my dorm, I found one on the back of my neck; it bit me!" said Madeline Caplice, freshman in LAS.

Some students like Briana Millar, sophomore in Education, have been luckier in avoiding the beetles' bites than others.

"I didn't know they were Asian beetles and I was playing with them in class. I must have good karma," Millar said. "They haven't bothered me too much."

Nixon said these beetles are particularly attracted to light colors such as white and yellow, and can be found on the sunnier sides of campus. This may be why many bugs latch on to clothing and backpacks, eventually leading to hair and skin.

"This morning, I found some on my bike and my backpack," said Kyle Guzman, senior in LAS . "One hit me at full speed on the throat."

Christina Papavasiliou, area resident, said she usually runs down Busey Avenue and Coler Avenue in Urbana and has recently been spotting the beetles in her hair.

To avoid incidents like these, Nixon recommends wearing earth tones because the beetles are not attracted to this spectrum of colors.

The campus may be able to bid these bugs farewell soon. Nixon said the lady beetles only come out when the temperature is 50 degrees or higher. However, in the springtime they will find the soybean aphids on campus again, continuing the cycle of invasion.