{"insect":{"slug":"seven-spotted-ladybug","commonName":"Seven-Spotted Ladybug","scientificName":"Coccinella septempunctata","category":"predator","preyOn":["aphid-cabbage","aphid-green-peach","aphid-lettuce","asparagus-aphid","black-cherry-aphid","pea-aphid","soybean-aphid","scale-san-jose","mealybug-pineapple","spider-mite","two-spotted-spider-mite"],"attractedBy":["dill","fennel-herb","yarrow","sweet-alyssum","cilantro","caraway"],"habitatNeeds":"Overwinters in leaf litter, stone walls, and undisturbed garden debris. Avoid broad-spectrum pesticides including pyrethrins, which kill adults and larvae alike. Provide a shallow water source and undisturbed shelter at bed margins.","gardenRole":"A single adult consumes up to 5,000 aphids in its lifetime. Larvae eat more per day than adults. The most recognizable beneficial in temperate gardens; introduced from Europe in the 1950s and now widespread across North America.","identificationTips":"Round dome shape, 7-10mm long, red to red-orange wing covers with exactly seven black spots: three on each wing cover plus one split across the midline at the front. Head solid black with two white triangular cheek patches. Larvae are dark gray-blue, 1cm long, alligator-shaped with six legs and orange spots along the back.","confusedWith":"asian-lady-beetle","confusionNote":"Asian lady beetles have a variable spot count, an M-shaped black mark on the white pronotum behind the head, and can bite humans. Seven-spotted ladybugs always show seven spots and the solid black head with white cheek patches; they do not bite.","seasonalPresence":{"active":["spring","summer","fall"],"dormant":["winter"]},"regions":["all"],"source":"Cornell Cooperative Extension; Xerces Society 'Farming with Native Beneficial Insects'"},"verdict":"friend","gardenRole":"A single adult consumes up to 5,000 aphids in its lifetime. Larvae eat more per day than adults. The most recognizable beneficial in temperate gardens; introduced from Europe in the 1950s and now widespread across North America.","attractedBy":[{"slug":"dill","commonName":"Dill"},{"slug":"fennel-herb","commonName":"Herb Fennel"},{"slug":"yarrow","commonName":"Yarrow"},{"slug":"sweet-alyssum","commonName":"Sweet Alyssum"},{"slug":"cilantro","commonName":"Cilantro"},{"slug":"caraway","commonName":"Caraway"}],"protects":[{"crop":"tomato","commonName":"Tomato","via":["aphid-green-peach","spider-mite","two-spotted-spider-mite"]},{"crop":"cucumber","commonName":"Cucumber","via":["aphid-green-peach","spider-mite"]},{"crop":"asparagus","commonName":"Asparagus","via":["asparagus-aphid"]},{"crop":"austrian-winter-pea","commonName":"Austrian Winter Pea","via":["pea-aphid"]},{"crop":"celery","commonName":"Celery","via":["aphid-green-peach"]},{"crop":"chamomile-german-matricaria-recutita","commonName":"German Chamomile","via":["aphid-green-peach"]},{"crop":"cherry-sweet","commonName":"Sweet Cherry","via":["black-cherry-aphid"]},{"crop":"cilantro","commonName":"Cilantro","via":["aphid-green-peach"]},{"crop":"eggplant","commonName":"Eggplant","via":["spider-mite"]},{"crop":"fava-bean","commonName":"Fava Bean","via":["pea-aphid"]},{"crop":"field-pea","commonName":"Field Pea","via":["pea-aphid"]},{"crop":"kale","commonName":"Kale","via":["aphid-cabbage"]},{"crop":"lettuce-leaf","commonName":"Leaf Lettuce","via":["aphid-lettuce"]},{"crop":"mint-spear","commonName":"Spearmint","via":["spider-mite"]},{"crop":"nasturtium","commonName":"Nasturtium","via":["aphid-green-peach"]},{"crop":"okra","commonName":"Okra","via":["aphid-green-peach"]},{"crop":"oregano","commonName":"Oregano","via":["spider-mite"]},{"crop":"peach","commonName":"Peach","via":["scale-san-jose"]},{"crop":"pepper-hot","commonName":"Hot Pepper","via":["spider-mite"]},{"crop":"pepper-sweet","commonName":"Sweet Pepper","via":["aphid-green-peach"]},{"crop":"phacelia","commonName":"Phacelia","via":["aphid-green-peach"]},{"crop":"pineapple","commonName":"Pineapple","via":["mealybug-pineapple"]},{"crop":"snap-pea","commonName":"Snap Pea","via":["pea-aphid"]},{"crop":"soybean","commonName":"Edamame","via":["soybean-aphid"]},{"crop":"spinach","commonName":"Spinach","via":["aphid-green-peach"]},{"crop":"thyme","commonName":"Thyme","via":["spider-mite"]}],"protectionTips":["Overwinters in leaf litter, stone walls, and undisturbed garden debris. Avoid broad-spectrum pesticides including pyrethrins, which kill adults and larvae alike. Provide a shallow water source and undisturbed shelter at bed margins.","Plant dill, fennel-herb, yarrow, sweet-alyssum as nearby nectar or pollen sources.","Avoid broad-spectrum insecticides, which kill this beneficial alongside its target pests."]}