Lady Bugs and Asian Lady Beetles

You'll notice on the Asian lady beetles that the legs are a more of a red color where as on the ladybug, the legs are black.

I'm not sure what's going on, but we've had a tremendous influx of these beetles here in Southern Ontario about 3 years ago. They're everywhere! I sure hope that they haven't decimated out own species. Last fall, I couldn't stand in the driveway and talk to the water guy cause they were dive bombing us and I don't know whether their legs were pinching, trying to get purchase, or they were biting, but it hurt and we had to leave the area and go in the house. Aggressive! Never seen that before!

In our horticultural club we were told that the Asian lady beetle has a black W on the "head" (its spots make a W). The ladybug does not have this marking. There are lots of wonderful color pictures in the internet if you go searching.

I haven't found how to tell the difference except that if they are not red (orange or red orange), they are definitely the Asian Lady Beetles. Even if they are red, they can be. Short of counting their spots, it might be a problem to tell the difference. They are beneficial like domestic ladybugs but can be pesky in the winter. Here's a good article about them and why they want to cluster on the walls of homes:

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/br/lbeetle/

Susan from ThriftyFun