Wikipedia, Asian Lady Beetle
And here we were thinking these ladybugs were bringing us good luck as the new year approaches. Nope.
According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife, who clarified in a Facebook post earlier this week, the surplus of ladybugs that Central and parts of South Texas are experiencing could actually be the Asian Lady Beetle, AKA a non-native ladybug imposter. The insect was introduced in the beginning of the '60s as a form of pest control and tend to congregate around buildings in the winter.
The major differences between these beetles and the species native to Texas and the U.S. is that these little critters give off an unpleasant odor, will stain surfaces with their yellow secretions (gross) and, best of all, they bite.
