Hippodamia convergens

Hippodamia convergens, commonly known as the convergent lady beetle, is one of the most common lady beetles in North America and is found throughout the continent. They tend to live a variety of habitats, including grasslands and forests.

Female H. convergens can lay over 1000 eggs over the span of a few months during the spring or early summer. In some populations, the beetles may undergo diapause if there are limited food resources to delay reproduction.

H. convergens eat soft-bodied insects, with aphids being the primary food resource. Aphids are a known pest, so the H. convergens has been used as a method to control aphids by releasing the beetles to act as a predator for the aphids.