Lady beetles
Coccinellidae
Family-level entry for the lady beetles (ladybugs), whose adults and larvae are predators of aphids, scale insects, and other soft-bodied pests on garden and crop plants. Both life stages consume aphids in large numbers, making the family one of the most recognized beneficial-insect groups for aphid-prone plantings. Many species overwinter as adults in leaf litter, under bark, beneath stones, and inside hollow plant stems, often clustering in aggregations, so leaving leaf litter and standing dead stems through winter provides shelter habitat.
Conservation
The family is mixed: several introduced species (such as the sevenspotted lady beetle, Coccinella septempunctata, and the multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis) are now widespread and abundant in North America, while some native species have declined sharply. The ninespotted lady beetle (Coccinella novemnotata), once among the most common coccinellids in the northeastern U.S. and now extremely rare, is profiled by the Xerces Society as an at-risk beetle; its decline is associated with the establishment of introduced coccinellids. There is no family-wide IUCN, Xerces Red List tier, or USFWS listing — status is species-specific.