Posts Tagged: lady beetles

The Good Luck at UC Davis Picnic Day

Remember when San Francisco 49'ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk credited his spectacular 51-yard catch in the 2024 NFC championship game with the Detroit Lions to a ladybug (note that entomologists correctly call it a "lady beetle") landing on his...

A lady beetle, aka ladybug, devouring on aphid on the UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A lady beetle, aka ladybug, devouring on aphid on the UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A cellar spider snares a lady beetle in a Vacaville pollinator garden. The red droplet is reflex bleeding, the beetle is emitting an alkaloid toxin to protect it from predators. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A cellar spider snares a lady beetle in a Vacaville pollinator garden. The red droplet is reflex bleeding, the beetle is emitting an alkaloid toxin to protect it from predators. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Lady Beetles, Unite!

That lady beetle, aka ladybug, that landed on the shoe of San Francisco 49”ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk just before the NFL championship game, apparently didn't show up at the Super Bowl.  The 49'ers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, but...

Three lady beetles, aka ladybugs, form a Leaning Tower of Pisa on the UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Three lady beetles, aka ladybugs, form a Leaning Tower of Pisa on the UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Of Lady Beetles and Green Fruit Beetle Larvae

Make way for the beetles! Lady beetles, green fruit beetle larvae, and stick-on bug tattoos drew inquisitive and appreciative crowds when the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM) staffed an informational booth at Briggs Hall during...

Ready to field questions are these representatives of the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program: Karey Windbiel-Rojas (left), associate director for Urban and Community IPM/Area IPM Advisor, and IPM educator Lauren Fordyce. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ready to field questions are these representatives of the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program: Karey Windbiel-Rojas (left), associate director for Urban and Community IPM/Area IPM Advisor, and IPM educator Lauren Fordyce. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Karey Windbiel-Rojas, associate director for Urban and Community IPM/Area IPM Advisor, answers a question. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Karey Windbiel-Rojas, associate director for Urban and Community IPM/Area IPM Advisor, answers a question. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Youngsters and adults alike enjoyed watching and holding the green fruit beetle larvae. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Youngsters and adults alike enjoyed watching and holding the green fruit beetle larvae. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Teagan Pelusi, 4, of Pleasant Hill, is fascinated by a green fruit beetle larva. "We love learning about bugs," said her father Christopher Van Steyn, as the larva captivated her interest. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Teagan Pelusi, 4, of Pleasant Hill, is fascinated by a green fruit beetle larva. "We love learning about bugs," said her father Christopher Van Steyn, as the larva captivated her interest. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Diego Rojas (left) and his brother, Spencer Rojas, offered information about invasive pests as they gave away stick-on (temporary) tattoos. Their mother, Karey Windbiel-Rojas, a UC IPM administrator, was at an adjacent table. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Diego Rojas (left) and his brother, Spencer Rojas, offered information about invasive pests as they gave away stick-on (temporary) tattoos. Their mother, Karey Windbiel-Rojas, a UC IPM administrator, was at an adjacent table. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Guess the stick-on tattoos? From left are a Chinese red-headed centipede (Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans); a tarantula hawk (Pepsis heros); and a hickory horned devil caterpillar of a regal moth (Citheronia regalis). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Guess the stick-on tattoos? From left are a Chinese red-headed centipede (Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans); a tarantula hawk (Pepsis heros); and a hickory horned devil caterpillar of a regal moth (Citheronia regalis). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Lady Beetle Lovers, Unite!

Luck be a lady! Little kids love selecting lady beetles, aka ladybugs, at the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management (UC IPM) booth at Briggs Hall during the annual campuswide UC Davis Picnic Day. The excitement, the capture, the...

A lady beetle, aka ladybug, gets ready to devour an aphid. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A lady beetle, aka ladybug, gets ready to devour an aphid. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Get in line! A lady beetle devouring oleander aphids. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Get in line! A lady beetle devouring oleander aphids. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The larvae of lady beetle devour aphids, too. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The larvae of lady beetle devour aphids, too. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A lady beetle and her eggs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A lady beetle and her eggs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

'A Lady in Red': Petal Pusher?

It wouldn't make the news, even if it were a "Slow News Day." "Lady in Red Climbs Neon-Pink Petals in Search of Aphids." Lady beetles, aka ladybugs, are coming out of their winter hibernation now and they're hungry. Aphid-hungry. We spotted...

A lady beetle nestled in an ice plant blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A lady beetle nestled in an ice plant blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Let's climb! A lady beetle begins her ascent--up an ice plant blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Let's climb! A lady beetle begins her ascent--up an ice plant blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

How am I doing? Am I doing this right? Lady beetle stops. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

How am I doing? Am I doing this right? Lady beetle stops. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

I did it! I climbed my Mount Everest and I'm about to descend. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

I did it! I climbed my Mount Everest and I'm about to descend. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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