There honestly aren’t very many social insects: those that spend their lives in hives, such as bumblebees, or nests, in the case of ants. But there are a few otherwise solitary insects that gather together to help each other get through the colder months. This convergence of Convergent Lady Beetles was on a blackberry plant off of Mount Pisgah’s Meadow trail recently.
If you can get a good look at them, Convergent Lady Beetles, or Hippodamia convergens, are easy to distinguish from other red-and-black species. They’re relatively large, at up to a quarter of an inch, and more egg-shaped than round from above. The giveaway with lady beetles is usually the section behind the head, the pronotum. In this case, the sides and front of that area are outlined in white, and there are two short slash marks, angling toward each other, “converging” on the wing side.
There’s also a white mark between the eyes (if you can see it — the head is often tilted down), that I’ve seen referred to as bee-shaped: three connected circles, with the central one being larger.
It’s interesting to compare individuals when they’re grouped like this. As you can see, the shade of orange-red and the number of black spots on the wings varies. The spots usually range from 10 to 13, but some rebel beetles don’t have any.
Like many lady beetles, this native species is a champion aphid eater, both as a larva and as an adult. Hippodamia convergens are sometimes collected when they’re found aggregating like this, and sold to gardeners. But beware: The beetles tend to fly away home, or find new homes anyway, shortly after they’re relocated.
By the way, if you look closely, these beetles aren’t all just basking in the sun, several pairs of them are mating. Females will hold off laying eggs, however, until the food supplies (aphids) are abundant enough to feed their 200-500 offspring.
Stay curious!
See more of Karen’s work here.
Sources:
Info sheets on native and non-native Oregon lady beetles: https://www.oregon.gov/oda/Documents/Publications/IPPM/LadyBeetlesPestAlert.pdf. Accessed 1/12/26.
Info from California: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/natural-enemies/convergent-lady-beetle/#gsc.tab=0. Accessed 1/12/26.
All photos by Karen Richards.