Survival of predatory ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae): interplay of behavior, agricultural practices and symbiotic relationships

Modern agriculture faces the dual challenge of meeting global food demands while ensuring environmental sustainability in the face of population growth. A major constraint on agricultural productivity is crop loss caused by pests and diseases. Biological control strategies offer environmentally friendly alternatives that reduce reliance on agrochemicals and minimize the risks of biomagnification. The effectiveness of biological control strategies depends on their biocontrol agents. Various factors influence the survival of biocontrol agents in their habitats, including their functional ecological role, habitat management and the microorganism associations. Predatory ladybirds are recognized as effective natural enemies in pest suppression and serve as key agents in biological control programs. This review explores various factors influencing their survival, focusing on foraging behavior, habitat preference, crop management practices and symbiotic interactions. Specifically, the roles of intraguild predation, habitat complexity and prey preferences in shaping ladybird behavior are discussed. Further, it was examined the impact of agricultural practices such as cropland heterogeneity and farming systems (organic vs. conventional) on ladybird persistence. Additionally, the study considered how endosymbiotic interactions, including ectoparasites and soil fungi, contributed to or hinder ladybird survival in agroecosystems. The insights gathered in this review highlight the importance of ecological and agricultural contexts in enhancing the effectiveness of various predatory ladybirds, such as the dominant species, i.e., Coccinella transversalis, Cheilomenes sexmaculata and Harmonia axyridis. These findings can inform more targeted and sustainable pest control strategies, particularly within Integrated Pest Management (IPM) frameworks.