Big batches of black-speckled beetles - species native to North America - have bugged out, flown away, or died off.
Once common, several species of the hard-shelled insects with delicate wings are becoming increasingly rare, and researchers, including experts in laboratories and kids in their backyards, want to know why.
Particularly alarming is the seemingly swift decline of the red, oval-shaped beetles that traditionally triggered outbursts of sing-song chants ("Ladybug! Ladybug! Fly away home ...").
There's not much ladybug chanting these days, but a lot of ladybug hunting is going on.
Volunteers with the Buckeye Lady Beetle Blitz, conducted out of Wooster, Ohio, and the Lost Ladybug Project, based at Cornell University, are among those working to solve the mystery of the missing ladybugs. As part of their efforts, people are on the prowl for the elusive insects, searching oh-so-carefully in tall-standing grass, around blooming dandelions, in fields growing green.
Sara English, a Maumee High School graduate, was in the Toledo area visiting relatives two summers ago when a ladybug landed on her windshield. Excited by the uncommon sighting, she didn't want to let the ladybug get away.
"We scooped it up with a piece of paper," said English, who lives in a Chicago suburb.
Then came the Big Chill. Following shutterbug instructions for ladybugs, the insect was popped into the freezer. In a couple of minutes, it no longer was trying to take wing. It was camera-ready.
English and her son Ozzie snapped some shots, talked about different lady beetle species, and later, when their photo was posted on the Lost Ladybug Project's Web site, the youngster was thrilled to be part of something that is making a difference on Planet Earth.
The world is home to 5,000 species of lady beetles, with 450 species in North America.
During the last 20 years, several native ladybugs that were once quite common have become extremely rare, and ladybugs from other places have greatly increased both their numbers and range.
Some ladybugs are being located in new places. This is happening quickly and so far, scientists don't know how, or why, or what impact it will have on ladybug diversity or the role ladybugs play in keeping plant-feeding insect populations low, according to the Lost Ladybug Project.
Researchers hope to determine where all the ladybugs have gone in order to develop preventive measures that can be taken to keep more native species from becoming rare.
And while some are exceedingly rare, lady beetles are not listed as endangered or extinct species, said Mary Gardiner, project director of the Buckeye Lady Beetle Blitz.
However, "We're certainly worried," she said. Worried about the impact on natural systems, on the food web, and on pest management.
Consider this: when the ladybug was designated as Ohio's state insect in 1975, it was noted that lady beetles exist in all 88 counties.
Although lawmakers didn't select a particular species for the honor, Gardiner said the native convergent lady beetle is commonly considered as the state insect. And it was commonly seen across the state.
Now?
"You would be hard-pressed to find the convergent lady beetle today," Gardiner said.
The species has been rare for about a decade. In 2005, five were found during a survey in Ohio and Michigan, and one was found (in the Columbus area) during a survey last year, she said.
Scarce, too, is the nine-spotted ladybug. No confirmed sighting had occurred in the eastern United States for 14 years. In 2006, a nine-spotted was found by two children in Virginia, marking one of the first major discoveries during the Lost Ladybug Project.
The finding confirmed the species was not yet extinct and showed that with enough people working together, rare ladybug species could be found.
Photos of ladybugs, along with details on when and where discoveries were made, can be submitted to the Lost Ladybug Project on their website.
Lady beetles are considered cute and friendly but they are ferocious predators, eating huge amounts of small pests, such as aphids. Exotic species, introduced since the 1980s, might be more aggressive predators, gobbling up food sources and ravaging the life cycle of native species.
"We are concerned with the decline of some native species and the rise in exotic species in recent years," Gardiner said.
To track ladybug populations in Ohio, about 200 volunteers at 10 locations across the state will conduct two census sampling periods in June and August.
The Buckeye Lady Beetle Blitz census is a way to collect a lot of different beetles and see how abundant they are in various locations, Gardiner said, adding, "People are really excited about helping."
Last year, 188 trained volunteers participated in the first census, during which 10 species - no rare ones - were found in home gardens. The findings won't bring the beetles back, but data will show the best conservation measures to protect the insects, Gardiner said.
"When something gets so rare, it is difficult for homeowners and for the public in general to do a lot of management to increase population," Gardiner said.
Ohio residents who want to get involved with the beetle blitz can take photographs of ladybugs they find and submit them to the Buckeye Lady Beetle Blitz website, said Gardiner, an Ohio State University assistant professor.
Information gathered by Lost Ladybug Project volunteers is being used to map where lady beetles exist in North America, said Leslie Allee, a project co-founder.
Initially, researchers feared three native species - the nine-spotted, the transverse, the two-spotted - were extinct in much of the country, she said.
But young citizen scientists are finding a few rare ladybugs.
"Kids particularly are good lookers," Allee said, and "they're motivated. Kids really like ladybugs. Kids are excited to really do something useful and helpful."
As a result of discoveries by volunteers, some rare native ladybugs are being raised in a safe environment in the laboratory, Allee said.
Researchers might reintroduce some of them, but testing must first determine why the decline occurred. "It will take a few years of doing more research," she said.
Aggressive Asian beetles, the multicolored, home-invading, stink-if-you-step-on-them variety, could be the culprit. Widespread pesticide use might be another threat to the survival of the winged summertime jewels.
In the coming weeks, students enrolled in Lourdes College's Life Lab summer camp in Sylvania will participate in citizen science activities related to ladybug projects.
"They will be actively involved in helping find ladybugs and in tracking down data" said Marge Malinowski, Life Lab technical supervisor.
Armed with identification cards, students will explore the campus and their backyards and gardens at home.
A master gardener, Malinowski of Sylvania notices ladybugs from time to time, "but not in the numbers I would see 15 years ago."
On a recent afternoon, no ladybugs were found during an extensive search at Ohio State University Extension at the Toledo Botanical Garden. Not on the day lilies, not on the purple cone flower, not on the false indigo.
Lee Richter of Perrysburg, program assistant in urban horticulture at the extension office, was disappointed by the lack of ladybugs. She's a volunteer with the Buckeye Lady Beetle Blitz.
"It used to be, when you found aphids, you found lady beetles. But it's not the same now," she said. "You can find aphids. You cannot find ladybugs."
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Online:
Lost Ladybug Project: http://www.lostladybug.org
Buckeye Lady Beetle Blitz: http://ladybeetles.osu.edu
