South Dakota State University entomologist Mike Catangui and USDA research entomologist Louis Hesler are calling South Dakota elementary children to become junior biologists as they search for rare ladybugs.

Catangui and Hesler are leading researchers in the Lost Ladybug Project.

The Project began at Cornell University in New York and is spreading across the nation as more and more researchers and children are on the lookout for the rare beetles.

Lady beetles, commonly called ladybugs or ladybirds, are especially important to agricultural states such as South Dakota.

"They provide a 'free' service to farmers and gardeners because they eat insects that can reduce crop yields," Catangui said.

Since the 1970s, however, lady beetles native to the United States and South Dakota have been disappearing quickly.

In South Dakota, researchers are looking for nine-spotted, two-spotted and transverse lady beetles.

The reason for the decline is still unknown, but researchers suspect that the swelling populations of non-native Asian lady beetles may have something to do with it.

Researchers do not yet know the full effects of the ladybugs' disappearance, according to Catangui. "When a species of living thing disappears, the consequences are hardly ever good," he said.

On June 18, Catangui and Hesler found a pair of nine-spotted, or C9, lady beetles in Badlands National Park, a species that has not been seen in South Dakota for more than 30 years.

And now, the search is on for more nine-spotted ladybugs.

The Lost Ladybug Project has two components, according to Catangui and Hesler.

The first part involves entomologists and graduate students nationwide investigating conservation, biodiversity and invasive insect species, such as the Asian beetle.

The second part encourages elementary-age children to participate in "citizen science."

"Ladybugs appear to be universally appealing to 5- to 11-year old children anywhere in the world," Catangui said.

"As research subjects, ladybugs can be harmlessly handled and observed even by children."

Researchers encourage all children to help the effort.

"We need as many eyes as possible to help us find these lost ladybugs," Hesler said. "We want all citizens of South Dakota to participate, but particularly school-age children."

Catangui hopes children's involvement with the Lost Ladybug Project will give them positive experience in conservation biology so they "maintain a lifelong interest in nature, the diversity of life and environmental stewardship."

Ultimately, the project hopes to involve about 10,000 children nationwide, building the largest, most accurate biological database ever developed by a citizen-science project.

Children need no specific training to find the ladybugs - just a keen eye for bugs.

On the Net

The Lost Ladybug Project has an interactive Web site explaining procedures for collecting, photographing and uploading lady beetle images. Go to instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/icb344/Lost_Ladybugs.htm