Sugar beet ladybird (Bulae lichatschovi Hum.) ), Life cycle and control method

The first damage of sugar beet ladybird was (Bulaea lichatschovi Hum.) reported in 1972 from south of Russia. In Iran, the first report of high damage of this insect on the leaves was reported from sugar beet fields of Karaj in 1962. Adult ladybird is reddish bown with 3.5-4.5 mm length. Thorax has 6 black points. On elytres there are 20 blackish brown spots. The ventral body is black. The antenna is reddish brown. Egg is yellow. Pupa is yellowish with 4-6 mm length. The ladybird overwinter as adult under different shelters such as, earth crevices, under the earth lump, wall crevices around the fields and under the leaves and plant debris. Somethimes 500-1000 ladybirds gattered in one point. Te adults appear in May in Karaj area and at the end of May or early June in cold provinces such as Ardebil. They are usually active in the middle of day. Under suitable conditions, the insect appears firstly on the host plants of Chenopodiaceae family, especially in the fields margin. The migrate to seed production fields when the flowers appear.The adults feed on leaves and flowers. They lay eggs in batches with 15-20 egg under the leaves. Eggs hatch after one week and larva feed on leaves and flowers. The feeding of larva on the beet aphids has been also reported. Development of the larva  is about 35-40 days. Duration of pupal stage is 4-6 days. After the feeding adults move gradually to the shelters and overwinter until next spring. Sugar beet ladybird probably has got one generation is each year.
For preventing of the damage, host plants must be visited carefully before appearance of the flowering stage. After migration of the over wintered adults to the host plant when the population is high we can spray the plants with Eterimphos 50% EC. After migration of the adults from host plants to the field, plants should be spray before appearance of their flowers.