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Photo#368900
Seven-spot - Coccinella septempunctata

Seven-spot - Coccinella septempunctata
Alameda County, California, USA
February 1, 2010
Size: ~1/4 in., 6 mm
Found on rim of garden container. What's it eating? Aphids are scarce now.

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Seven-spot - Coccinella septempunctata Seven-spot - Coccinella septempunctata

anything small and soft-bodied
I don't know if they're as opportunistic as the multicolored Asian, which will eat fruit, but anything without a tough exoskeleton is fair game. Even after snow I've found really tiny thrips and the like living in sage leaf crevices. Lady beetles will also eat eggs and pupae, so if there are moth or fly pupae near the surface it might be finding those. They definitely have a sense of smell - I don't know how strong it is, but it might be good enough to sniff out food sources under a layer of dirt.

(I foresee myself experimenting w/ that in about three months...)

 
Oh, good
Thrips, springtails, and mites are numerous now. I also put out raisins, having read that ladybugs will eat them when they can't get insects.

 
it's probably getting those tiny pests!
Less calories per critter than fat juicy aphids, but a hard-working lady beetle can easily catch enough to survive on. If you see anyone on those raisins let me know, I'm curious about what lady beetles eat fruit other than the multicolored Asian.

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