Ladybug Facts

Ladybug Facts

(Coccinellidae)

1. Ladybugs belong to the Beetle Family and there are more than 5000 different types in the world.

2. Small, oval-shaped winged insects.

3. Ladybugs are also called lady birds or lady beetles.

4. Small, oval-shaped winged insects.

5. Red with black spots or black with red spots on the wing covers.

6. The number of spots identifies the type of ladybug.

7. Not bugs.

8. Eats bad insects called aphids which help the farmer.

9. They may even produce a foul-smelling odor from a fluid from joints in their legs.

10. A female ladybug can lay up to 300 eggs at one time.

11. Ladybugs are cold blooded.

12. The wings under the ladybug's elytra are so thin that you can see through them.

13. Some ladybugs have spots and some have no spots at all!

14. The number of spots helps to identify the kind of ladybug.

15. Like all insects, the ladybug has six jointed legs.

16. There are special organs on their feet to help them smell.

17. The ladybug uses its antennae to touch, smell and taste.

18. There are nearly 5,000 different kinds of ladybugs worldwide.

19. There are 400  kinds of ladybugs in North America.

20. A ladybug beats its wings 85 times a second when it flies.

21. Ladybugs chew from side to side and not up and down like people do.

22. A gallon jar will hold from 72,000 to 80,000 ladybugs.

23. Ladybugs make a chemical that smells and tastes terrible so that birds and other predators won't eat them.

24. The spots on a ladybug fade as the ladybug gets older.

25. Ladybugs won't fly if the temperature is below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

26. The male ladybug is usually smaller than the female.

27. The Asian Lady Beetle can live up to 3 years.

28. When threatened, ladybugs "play dead.”

29. They are named after the Virgin Mary. 'Our Lady', who wore a red cloak in old paintings. The 7 spots are supposed to remind us of the 7 joys and the 7 sorrows.

30. In many countries, ladybugs are considered to be good luck.

31. During hibernation, ladybugs feed on their stored fat.

32. The Ladybug hibernate and feed on stored fat.

33. The Ladybug can’t fly in temperatures below 55 degrees.

34. The Ladybug is the official state insect of Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Tennessee.

35. In Sweden, folks believe that if a ladybug lands on a young maiden's hand, she will soon be getting married.

36. In England, finding a ladybug means that you will have a good harvest.

37. In France, if you are sick and a ladybug lands on you, when it flies away, it will take the sickness with it.

38. If you find a ladybug in your house in the winter you will have good luck.

39. Four ladybugs were sent into space in 1999 on NASA's space shuttle.