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Summary

LadybirdBase was developed in this study. It's a comprehensive database that supports the identification, study, and use of ladybird beetles in biological control. It combines published and laboratory data on biology, ecology, genomics, microbiomics, and laboratory experiments using Django, MySQL, and Nginx. The database covers 6,872 species, 20 genomes, 782 transcriptomes, microbiome datasets, stress-tolerance data, and feeding experiments, in addition with tools for species identification, BLAST searches, gene expression analysis, and PCR primer design. Unlike previous databases which focused mainly on morphology and distribution, LadybirdBase integrates genomic and microbiomic resources, to support research in biological control, evolutionary genomics, insecticide resistance, and host–microbiome interactions. Its major strength is the combination of different datasets and analytical tools, although some data are unpublished and limited to certain species.

List of minor concerns and feedback

• The techniques and analytical approaches used by the researchers are technically sound, with no major concerns regarding their application. However, the manuscript could provide additional details on the quality control and validation procedures applied to the unpublished datasets to improve transparency and reproducibility.

• The figures are generally informative and relevant to the study. However, some figures are relatively dense, which may affect readability. Increasing the font size and, where appropriate, simplifying the presentation would improve the clarity and accessibility of the figures.

Limitations and ethics

• The manuscript acknowledges some limitations; however, it could further discuss the challenges of maintaining regular database updates and managing variations in the quality and completeness of publicly available datasets.

• The manuscript only involves insects, so ethical concerns are limited. Nevertheless, the authors should ensure appropriate attribution and citation of publicly sourced datasets and resources incorporated into the database.

Additional comments and feedback

• The manuscript is well organised and informative. However, readability could be improved by simplifying or breaking down some highly technical sections. Including case studies and user-oriented examples demonstrating how LadybirdBase can address practical research questions would also improve its usefulness to researchers.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The authors declare that they did not use generative AI to come up with new ideas for their review.