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Louis Hesler examines a colony of rare nine-spotted ladybugs being raised in captivity.
Research entomologist Louis Hesler examines a colony of rare, nine-spotted ladybugs being raised in captivity at USDA's North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory near Brookings, S.D. Insects from the wild were the original parents for the successful colony, which enables researchers to study possible reasons why some species of ladybugs are disappearing.
Credit: Lance Nixon, South Dakota State University
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Related story: 'Lost' Ladybugs Found Again in South Dakota