Here's why knowing the difference between ladybugs and Asian lady beetles matters—plus how to keep the invasive species out ...

You may know ladybugs for their red and black spots. But did you know the "ladybug" is actually more than one type of insect? There are about 5,000 species in the Coccinellidae, or ladybug, family.

Chapin, Edward A. 1926. "On some Coccinellidae of the tribe Telsimiini, with descriptions of new species." Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 39 129–134.

Coccinellids typically do not show exaggerated sexual dimorphisms, and the only reliable sexing methods for some species have been dissection and behavioral observations. Behavioral methods can ...