An extremely interesting insect
🐞 Ladybug or sun (Coccinellidae) is a small but very interesting insect that lives almost all over the world, except Antarctica!
These cute creatures belong to the order of hard-winged insects and number more than 5,200 species. Ladybugs go through a complete metamorphosis, including the stages of egg, larva, pupa and adult. 🐛➡️🐞
The vast majority of ladybug species are predators that actively eat agricultural pests. During its short life, one bug can destroy about 5,000 harmful insects, and in one day it can consume up to 60 aphids (plant lice). Only a small number of ladybug species feed on leaves, fruits and fungal mycelium.
Ladybug, or ladybird, is a small beetle with a convex round or oval body from 0.8 to 18 mm long. Head of the ladybug is small, and the eyes are complex and large. The antennae are of different lengths, their tips are thickened, which gives them the appearance of a club, the shape of which varies among species. The elongated and wide wings are brightly colored, often covered with spots. Ladybugs demonstrate good flight abilities, making up to 85 wingbeats per second. This insect can rise to a height of up to 500 meters and cover a distance of about 1 kilometer.
🐞 How many legs does a ladybug have?
These small insects do not have traditional legs, but they have six quotation marks! 🦵 They not only help to move, but also protect against enemies. The ladybug’s knee joints contain a pungent-smelling fluid called yellow hemolymph, which it releases when it feels threatened. This is its way of scaring off potential attackers! 🐜💨
How many spots and dots does a ladybug have? 🤔
Many people think that this is an indicator of age, but in fact, the number of spots depends on the species and can vary from 0 to 28!
The lifespan of ladybugs ranges from several months to 1-2 years. Young individuals usually have a brighter color, which becomes duller with age. However, even at an older age, they remain contrasting enough for predators to recognize their toxicity. If threatened, a ladybug is able to secrete a poisonous fragrant substance from the joints of its legs.
The main enemies of ladybugs are spiders, frogs and other insects. Birds and other vertebrates usually do not hunt them.
It is interesting that ladybugs have different colors: in addition to the usual red, they can be yellow, pink, orange, brown and even black! What are they
What are ladybugs: types
The ladybug family includes about 5,200 species, which are divided into seven subfamilies, including about 360 genera. Let’s consider the most common of them.
Ladybug bipunctata
Body size is 3-5 mm. The color of the body below is black, the prothorax on top has white-yellow shades with an M-shaped black spot in the middle. The elytra are usually red or red, each of which usually has a rounded black spot, which is why they are called “two-spotted”. There are also individuals with black elytra and red spots, and there are also a number of transitional color options.
This species is widespread in Eurasia and North America, and appeared in Japan at the beginning of the 21st century. It was brought to Australia to control aphids. The colon ladybird is used to control the number of small insect pests, particularly in greenhouses. The Entomological Society of Latvia has chosen the colon ladybird as the national insect of the country.
Seven-spotted sunbird (Coccinella septempunctata)
The most common ladybird in Europe reaches a length of 7-8 mm. Its black color with whitish-yellow spots on the front corners makes it easily recognizable. The elytra can be yellow, tan or red, with three black spots and one common spot near the scutellum. This species, like most ladybirds, is a predator, but also consumes pollen and fungal spores. Due to the number seven, this ladybird is considered a symbol of good luck in many cultures. In 1996, the seven-spotted sun was chosen as the symbol of Finland due to a vote organized by a well-known naturalistic magazine.
Another interesting species is the sixteen-spotted galicia (Halyzia sedecimguttata), which has a bright orange color with 16 white spots. This species is widespread in Europe, Asia, Northern China and Japan.
We cannot fail to mention the blue ladybird (Halmus chalybeus), which has a metallic sheen and a blue-green color without spots. This species, 3-4 mm long, is found in Australia and was brought to New Zealand to control pests.
What do ladybirds eat?
Most species of ladybugs are predators. They eat aphids, mites, caterpillar eggs, pupae and other insects. But there are also herbivorous ladybugs. For example, the potato ladybug with 28 spots on its wings eats potato, cucumber and tomato leaves. The alfalfa ladybug has 24 spots. In addition to alfalfa, it eats sugar beet leaves. The spotless ladybug feeds on grain crops.
What do ladybugs eat at home. Often, ladybugs fly into human dwellings to spend the winter. Insects need additional glucose. Therefore, you can, for example, throw twigs, leaves and a small amount of apple jam or honey into a jar and place the bug there. You can also pour sweet water into a bottle cap.
How long do ladybugs live
Usually, the lifespan of an insect is from 10 to 12 months, but some ladybugs can live up to two years.
Lifespan depends not only on the species. First of all, it is affected by the amount of food, including reserves for the winter. Ladybugs hibernate when the air temperature drops below + 10 C, but before that they accumulate glucose in the body to survive the long winter.
Where do ladybugs live
Ladybugs are found all over our planet except Antarctica. The best living conditions for most species are a constant temperature of +10 C. If the temperature drops, the insects hibernate or fly away to a warmer area for the winter.
Sometimes ladybugs were imported specifically to combat pests of agricultural crops. And they spread quite quickly.
Why are ladybugs called that?
According to legend, the insects are named after the Virgin Mary: the most common ladybug in Europe with seven dots reminds Christians of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary, and its red color is about the clothes of the Virgin Mary, in which she was depicted on old canvases.
Do ladybugs bite?
The mouth apparatus of a ladybug is capable of chewing other insects, so it can bite a person. The most biting species is the Asian ladybug.
But ladybugs very rarely bite people. They are attracted by the smell of perfume or sweat. A ladybug bite is not dangerous for a person, because the small bug is not able to bite through the skin. In the worst case, a quickly passing redness may form at the site of the bite.
Are ladybugs poisonous?
These small bugs are poisonous, but not for people, but for insects and some small animals. It has been noted that the brighter the color, the more poison it has.
The most poisonous species is the Asian ladybug. It, like other ladybugs, has a defense mechanism – an unpleasant-smelling liquid that is released from the quotation marks at the moment of danger. Other insects and animals. It poses no threat to humans, but can cause an allergic reaction or nausea.
A joke about the ladybug: “You find a ladybug, watch how it tickles your hand… And then you find a cockroach — and hop, you stomp it with a slipper! And after that you tell me that appearance is not important.