I imported some ladybird beetles that I found in my garage, (found on the inside of the garage door trying to get out), onto my aphid-afflicted Bhut Jolokia that was brought inside this winter.

I had found a 7-spot lady beetle several weeks ago, brought it inside to eat some aphids, but it left my pepper and is lost inside the house somewhere, unless it slipped out the door unseen. About a week ago, I found two 2-spot lady beetles on the inside of the door of the garage and I relocated them into the house on the pepper plant. They have been on the plant for about a week… I thought I’d lost them too, but found one of them on the inside of the patio door trying to get out, and the other one was in the garage again. Perhaps it fell off of the plant while I was moving the plant out into the sun one day.

I’ve added some photographs of the 2-spot beetles on the pepper. As you can see, the aphids are firmly entrenched and honeydew and aphid “dander” (shed nymph skins) is everywhere on the leaves. One of the beetles is clearly visible, while the other is shyly clinging to the stem under a leaf.

The insects are: Coccinella bipunctata (2-spot), and the one that may be roaming somewhere in the house is Coccinella septempunctata (7-spot) … no picture of the 7-spot.

Unfortunately, I don’t think these two beetles will clear the plant of aphids, but I get some satisfaction from watching them eat the nasty green beasts.