Ladybugs | National Geographic

Publish date: 2022-12-07
A spotless ladybug (iCycloneda sanguinea/i) photographed in Salt Lake City, Utah

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A harlequin ladybug (iHarmonia axyridis/i) photographed in Walton, Nebraska

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Ladybug pupae photographed in Lincoln, Nebraska

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A spotless ladybug (<i>Cycloneda sanguinea</i>) photographed in Salt Lake City, Utah

A spotless ladybug (Cycloneda sanguinea) photographed in Salt Lake City, Utah

Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

Common Name: Ladybugs

Scientific Name: Coccinellidae

Type: Invertebrates

Diet: Omnivore

Average Life Span In The Wild: 2 to 3 years

Size: 0.3 to 0.4 inches

Size relative to a paper clip:

Many people are fond of ladybugs because of their colorful, spotted appearance. But farmers love them for their appetite.

Importance to Farming

Most ladybugs voraciously consume plant-eating insects, such as aphids, and in doing so they help to protect crops. Ladybugs lay hundreds of eggs in the colonies of aphids and other plant-eating pests. When they hatch, the ladybug larvae immediately begin to feed.

Population

Ladybugs are also called lady beetles or, in Europe, ladybird beetles. There are about 5,000 different species of these insects, and not all of them have the same appetites. A few ladybugs prey not on plant-eaters but on plants. The Mexican bean beetle and the squash beetle are destructive pests that prey upon the crops mentioned in their names.

Spots and Coloring

Ladybugs appear as half-spheres, tiny, spotted, round or oval-shaped domes. They have short legs and antennae.

Their distinctive spots and attractive colors are meant to make them unappealing to predators. Ladybugs can secrete a fluid from joints in their legs which gives them a foul taste. Their coloring is likely a reminder to any animals that have tried to eat their kind before: "I taste awful." A threatened ladybug may both play dead and secrete the unappetizing substance to protect itself.

Their wings are flexible enough to fold intricately, yet strong enough to fly.

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