Harmonia axyridis was imported to North America in the early 1900s to control pest populations.
Notes on verification
Confirmed by USDA, university extension, and encyclopedic sources; consistent details on timing and purpose of introduction, with nuance that establishment occurred decades later.
Sources
- An Unusual Finding of a Ladybug on Screening Colonoscopy - PMC (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/multicolored-asian-lady-beetle.pdf (aphis.usda.gov)
- https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/multicolored_asian_lady_beetle (canr.msu.edu)