BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Tuesday’s wind and rain brought hundreds of Asiatic lady beetles to the shores of Lake Champlain.
They look like ladybugs but the little insects are an invasive species brought to the southern U.S. to manage aphid pests.
The high winds brought the swarm north Tuesday night to spots like Burlington’s North Beach.
University of Vermont Entomologist Margaret Skinner says although they look cute, it doesn’t mean they’re harmless.
“They’re outcompeting other lady beetles that occur here naturally that are native, so that’s why we don’t really like them so much because we want the native ones, too,” Skinner said.
Skinner theorizes the reason so many washed up at North Beach was because their poor flying skills and chubby bodies were pummeled by the strong rain which killed many.
Female beetles can lay 1,000-3,000 eggs within their lifetime.