Bug hunt starts July 17 at Oak Lake, but help needed from backyard scientists.

A group of Brookings scientists wants some help looking for ladybugs , and they're assembling a "bug team" of volunteer collectors Friday at Oak Lake.

The South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service will host the ladybug search, which starts at 10 a.m. at SDSU's Oak Lake Field Station northeast of White. Prospective hunters and collectors are asked to call Brookings County Extension Agronomy Educator Jon Kieckhefer at 605-695-8431 for information . Kieckhefer and other scientists will provide equipment to collect the bugs.

The event is part of "The Lost Ladybug Project," an ongoing national effort. Scientists from the South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service and the USDA's North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory want "citizen scientists" to continue searching for ladybugs during the summer months.

Individuals and families can help by recording lady beetles they see with digital cameras, or by collecting live specimens. The project seeks to find out why certain species, like the nine-spotted lady beetle, have become less common over the past 20 years.

Louis Hesler, a research entomologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Station in Brookings, said the reasons behind the project are threefold.

"We are seeing a decline in native species, and we need more eyes and cameras to document this," he said. "Lady beetles are beneficial insects, but Extension and USDA scientists work in agricultural fields, so the more people looking for them in other areas will help." More information about the project, including images of various rare species found, is available at this link: http:// lostladybug.org.

Extension Entomologist Mike Catangui said lady beetles are actively hunting prey such as aphids and other insects during the summer.

"Volunteers should record the place, time and date of the lady beetles they collect," he said. "While we hope to find the species that now are rare, all collections and entries are valuable to us as we work on the project."

Catangui, along with scientists from Cornell University, started the project in New York and South Dakota.

"We seek the help of the general public because many of the 'lost' species are extremely rare in agricultural areas," said Catangui. "But we are finding them elsewhere, through the help of volunteers who are keeping an eye out for lady beetles."

The Lost Ladybug Project received $2 million in funding through the National Science Foundation, and it involves Cornell University, USDA-ARSNCARL , the University of Georgia and SDSU.

As of July 11, the national Lost Ladybug Web site has received more than 2,350 photo submissions from 500 U.S. and Canadian cities.

"There have been 59 photo submissions from South Dakota so far, Catangui said. "We would like to vastly increase this number."

The Lost Ladybug Project is partnering with state Extension Service 4-H /youth development programs; rural, American Indian, and urban youth groups; various public and private schools; and a variety of after-school youth programs .

"Everyone is welcome to participate in this lighthearted and scientific endeavor," said Catangui. "We have already seen a wide range of great photos and other work from 'citizen scientists' in South Dakota, especially from young people."