Ladybug Facts And Photos - National Geographic Kids

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Ladybugs are colorful for a reason. Their markings tell predators: "Eat something else! I taste terrible."

Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. There are about 5,000 different species of ladybugs in the world. They're also called lady beetles or ladybird beetles.

There are about 5,000 different species of ladybugs in the world. They're also called lady beetles or ladybird beetles.

Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Colonies can contain thousands of ladybugs.

Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Farmers love them because they eat aphids and other plant-eating pests. One ladybug can eat up to 5,000 insects in its lifetime.

Farmers love them because they eat aphids and other plant-eating pests. One ladybug can eat up to 5,000 insects in its lifetime.

Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Ladybugs are happy in many different habitats, including grasslands, forests, cities, suburbs, and along rivers.

Ladybugs are happy in many different habitats, including grasslands, forests, cities, suburbs, and along rivers.

Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.1 / 51 / 5Ladybugs are colorful for a reason. Their markings tell predators: "Eat something else! I taste terrible."Ladybugs are colorful for a reason. Their markings tell predators: "Eat something else! I taste terrible."Photograph by irin-k, Shutterstock

Animals
Invertebrates

Common Name: LadybugsScientific Name: CoccinellidaeType: InvertebratesDiet: OmnivoreAverage Life Span In The Wild: 2 to 3 yearsSize: 0.3 to 0.4 inches

Most people like ladybugs because they are pretty, graceful, and harmless to humans. But farmers love them because they eat aphids and other plant-eating pests. One ladybug can eat up to 5,000 insects in its lifetime! Most ladybugs have oval, dome-shaped bodies with six short legs. Depending on the species, they can have spots, stripes, or no markings at all. Seven-spotted ladybugs are red or orange with three spots on each side and one in the middle. They have a black head with white patches on either side.

Ladybugs are colorful for a reason. Their markings tell predators: "Eat something else! I taste terrible." When threatened, the bugs will secrete an oily, foul-tasting fluid from joints in their legs. They may also play dead. Birds are ladybugs' main predators, but they also fall victim to frogs, wasps, spiders, and dragonflies. Ladybugs lay their eggs in clusters or rows on the underside of a leaf, usually where aphids have gathered. Larvae, which vary in shape and color based on species, emerge in a few days. Seven-spotted ladybug larvae are long, black, and spiky-looking with orange or yellow spots. Some say they look like tiny alligators. Larvae grow quickly and shed their skin several times. When they reach full size, they attach to a leaf by their tail, and a pupa is formed. Within a week or two, the pupa becomes an adult ladybug.

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Ladybugs are happy in many different habitats, including grasslands, forests, cities, suburbs, and along rivers. Seven-spotted ladybugs are native to Europe but were brought to North America in the mid-1900s to control aphid populations. Ladybugs are most active from spring until fall. When the weather turns cold, they look for a warm, secluded place to hibernate, such as in rotting logs, under rocks, or even inside houses. These hibernating colonies can contain thousands of ladybugs.

The name "ladybug" was coined by European farmers who prayed to the Virgin Mary when pests began eating their crops. After ladybugs came and wiped out the invading insects, the farmers named them "beetle of Our Lady." This eventually was shortened to "lady beetle" and "ladybug." NASA even sent a few ladybugs into space with aphids to see how aphids would escape in zero gravity.