Hippodamia convergens

Convergent lady beetles are native to North America, but have also been found in South America after they were imported from California. ==Habitat==

H. convergens tend to be more successful and more likely to survive to adulthood in warmer temperatures. They populate grasslands, forests, agricultural fields, gardens, and national parks. They have been found to achieve optimal reproductive and survival rates at 25.12°C (approximately 77°F) with a relative humidity of 63.78%. ==Life cycle==

The female lady beetle lays 200 to 1000 eggs over several months during spring and early summer. Once the larvae begin feeding, they grow quickly and molt four times over a period of up to a month. The pupal stage lasts about a week and mating takes place soon after adult eclosion. If the food supply is abundant, the female may start laying within about a week of mating, but if it is scarce, she may wait for up to nine months. Upon reaching the adult stage, females feed on fats and proteins for a week. This increases the production of juvenile hormone, helping the ovaries mature. This hormone also causes a behavior that results in long distance migration. In the western United States, these beetles may spend up to nine months in diapause in large groups in mountain valleys. ==Diet==

Both larvae and adult H. convergens primarily consume aphids. They are active hunters, meaning that they mobilize and travel to hunt for their prey. This also means that the larvae do not rely on helpers at the very least to gather food, meaning that the larvae will start searching for prey almost immediately upon hatching. H. convergens feed on other soft-bodied insects such as scales and thrips. They are also known to exhibit cannibalistic behaviors when food is especially scarce. ==Biological control==

Convergent lady beetles have been used for augmentative biological control to temporarily increase predator numbers to control aphids. Because of the overwintering habits of non-reproductive adults, released beetles tend to quickly disperse from their release site. Adults released in enclosed settings such as greenhouses can contribute to lower aphid numbers. However, they tend to disperse before mating and laying eggs, so eggs are not left behind to hatch and continue the cycle of controlling the aphid population. This occurs even when live prey is still present. This species was not included in the list of predatory insects usable for population control in the 2021 guidelines issued by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. ==Natural enemies==

Entomopathogenic fungi used as biopesticides such as Metarhizium anisopliae, Paecilomyces fumosoroseus, and Beauveria bassiana can infect larvae. Infection by Beauveria bassiana in particular has been shown to affect the temperatures these beetles will tolerate. == References ==