Firstly, foraging at night could be a temporal antipredator trade‐off, reducing the probability of encountering with diurnal insect‐feeding predators. While some sources have reported that ladybird beetles are diurnal insects (Nakamuta, 1987 Elliott et al., 2000), there are potential advantages for ladybird beetles that forage during the night.

For example, most observations on ladybird beetle feeding activity have been made in daytime conditions (Honek, 1985 Takahashi, 1993 Elliott et al., 2000), overlooking night feeding activity. Although it is one of the most studied coccinellid species, various aspects of its ecology and behavior are not yet completely understood (Hodek & Michaud, 2008). The ladybird beetle Coccinella septempunctata (L.) is one of the most widespread aphidophagous coccinellids (Hodek & Michaud, 2008) and has proved to be an effective biocontrol agent for selected aphid species such as Macrosiphum euphorbiae, Myzus persicae nicotianae, etc. The results support the hypothesis that volatiles of aphid‐infested plants can attract or arrest foraging adult ladybird beetles, even in the darkness, which makes a considerable contribution to efficient prey search and enhances feeding capacity. septempunctata has the potential to forage in the scotophase if prey is abundant. Coccinella septempunctata have the same feeding rate during the scotophase as in the photophase. Females were more prone to utilize olfactory cues when searching for prey and fed at higher rates than males this shows that they are better adapted to nocturnal activity, as they require higher food intake. In the scotophase the ladybird beetles were significantly more attracted to the odor of aphid‐infested plants, on which they also showed considerably higher walking activity then on uninfested controls. septempunctata, investigating their olfactory orientation toward aphid‐infested plants, walking activity on plants and on the soil, and feeding rates.

This study focuses on the diel foraging behavior of C. Despite being one of the most studied coccinellid species, many aspects of its foraging behavior are still not completely understood. The ladybird beetle Coccinella septempunctata (L.) is an important biocontrol agent of pests such as various aphid species.

Coccinella septempunctata in garden