Orange colored cluster of lady beetle eggs on bottom of a collard leaf.
Justin Ballew, ©2023, Clemson Extension
These orange-colored things stuck to the bottom of a collard leaf are a cluster of lady beetle eggs. Lady beetles are great insects to have around, especially if you have problems with aphids, their favorite food. Adults eat aphids whole, while the nymphs, seen below, pierce and suck out the internals. We have numerous species of lady beetles in South Carolina that range in the number of spots on their back and color from red and orange to black. Read more here.
Tiny lady beetle nymphs hatched from the eggs a week later.
Justin Ballew, ©2023, Clemson Extension
A week later, the eggs have hatched, and tiny lady beetle nymphs are ready to start hunting aphids.
