Ladybug Fun Facts
Ladybug Fun Facts
Ladybugs are insects in the Coccinellidae family of the beetle order, Coleoptera. They are characterized by their oval-shaped body and distinctive coloring.
The most common legend as to how ladybugs got their name is that during the middle ages in Europe, swarms of aphids were destroying crops. The farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary for help and help came in the form of ladybugs that devoured the plantdestroying pests and saved the crops! The grateful farmers named these insects “Our Lady’s beetles,” a name which had endured to present day.
Ladybugs are not commonly eaten by birds or other vertebrates, who avoid them because they exude a distasteful fluid and commonly play dead to avoid being preyed upon. However, several insects, such as assassin bugs and stink bugs, as well as spiders and toads may commonly kill lady beetles.
2. Female ladybugs can eat as many as 75 aphids in one day!
3. Ladybugs smell with their feet and antennae.
4. A ladybug’s jaws chew side to side instead of up and down like our jaws.
5. The color of a ladybug’s spots begin to fade as it gets older.
6. Ladybugs are most active when their body temperature is 75 degrees or warmer.
7. A ladybug’s bright color warns birds that it does not taste good.
8. When a ladybug flies, its wings beat 85 times every second.
9. There are almost 400 different kinds of ladybugs in North America.
10. Female ladybugs are larger than male ladybugs.
11. A female ladybug lays about 1,000 eggs in her lifetime.
12. A ladybug can bite you, but it doesn’t hurt.
13. Ladybugs hibernate in the winter. They eat their stored fat.
14. Some ladybugs can live 2 or 3 years.
15. Ladybugs are also called lady beetles. In Europe, they are also known as Ladybird Beetles.
16. Ladybugs make a fluid from the joints in their legs, which gives them an unpleasant taste. This helps protect them from being eaten by birds.
17. All ladybugs are born black.
19. In many countries, ladybugs are considered to be good luck.
20. Ladybugs come in many different colors, red, orange, rust, black, grey, blue and yellow.
21. Not all ladybugs are ladies, some are males.
22. In the 1880’s California’s orange trees were almost destroyed by a pest called the cottony cushion scale. Scientists brought Australian ladybugs called Vedalia ladybug beetles to eat the scales and these ladybugs saved the trees and California’s citrus crop.
23. Because of the distinctive markings that look like eyes, it is pretty easy to confuse the Pronotum and the
Head on a Ladybug.
25. The Elytra is a hard shell that covers the Ladybug’s fragile wings. It can be red with black spots, black with red spots, orange with black spots; it can also have no spots or be yellow.
26. There are special organs on Ladybug’s feet to help them smell.
27. The ladybug uses its antennae to touch, smell and taste.
28. The ladybug has two sets of wings. The exoskeleton elytra, and underneath those wings are the flying wings.
Life Cycle Stages
Ladybugs have 4 life stages. This developmental process is called complete metamorphosis.
Eggs are tiny, spindle-shaped, and arranged in clusters.
Larvae are usually elongated, “alligator” shaped, slightly pointed at the rear, and their body is covered in tiny bristles.
Pupae are slightly round and dark colored. You can find them attached to a surface by their hind ends.
Adults are sphere-shaped, smooth, and have easily recognizable colors and markings.
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