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 Insectlorepedia > Insects > Beetles >Ladybird Beetle (Ladybug) |
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The reddish-orange ladybug has distinctive black spots on each wing cover. It helps farmers by controlling insect pests, especially aphids. In folk medicine, ladybugs were believed to cure various diseases such as colic and measles. There are nearly 5,000 different kinds of ladybugs worldwide and 400 which live in North America. A female ladybug will lay more than 1000 eggs in her lifetime. A ladybug beats its wings 85 times a second when it flies. Aphids are a ladybug's favorite food. Ladybugs chew from side to side and not up and down like people do. A gallon jar will hold from 72,000 to 80,000 ladybugs. Ladybugs make a chemical that smells and tastes terrible so that birds and other predators won't eat them. If you squeeze a ladybug it will bite you, but the bite won't hurt. The spots on a ladybug fade as the ladybug gets older. During hibernation, ladybugs feed on their stored fat. Ladybugs won't fly if the temperature is below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. The ladybug is the official state insect of Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Tennessee. The male ladybug is usually smaller than the female. The Asian Lady Beetle can live up to 2-3 years if the conditions are right. |
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Dr. Entomology Suggests:
