Harlequin ladybeetle (Harmonia axyridis)

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Harmonia axyridis - BugGuide
Lady Beetles - University of Florida
Harmonia axyridis - Wikipedia

This harlequin ladybeetle was on my kitchen window on May 20, 2014. The species' elytral (wing cover) patterns are highly variable. They can be identified by the four blotchy black spots on the whitish pronotum.

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These two were on the underside of a common sunflower leaf that was covered with aphids and insects that eat aphids on May 7, 2017:




From Wikipedia:

"This species became established in North America as the result of introductions into the United States in an attempt to control the spread of aphids . In the last three decades, this insect has spread throughout the United States and Canada, and has been a prominent factor in controlling aphid populations. In the US, the first introductions took place as far back as 1916. The species repeatedly failed to establish in the wild after successfully controlling aphid populations, but an established population of beetles was observed in the wild near New Orleans, Louisiana , around 1988. In the following years, it quickly spread to other states, being occasionally observed in the Midwest within five to seven years and becoming common in the region by about 2000. The species was also established in the Northwest by 1991, and the Northeast by 1994, aided by additional introductions from the native range, rather than just reaching there from the Southeast. Reportedly, it has heavily fed on soybean aphids (which recently appeared in the US after coming from China ), supposedly saving farmers vast sums of money in 2001."

I found this Harmonia axyridis larva on April 10, 2014.

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On April 02, 2018, I spotted this Harmonia axyridis pupa on a leaf stem, near a larva.