Bugs #3 - Ladybird

Small camoflaged container with Bug, log and pencil. BYOP anyway pencil and pens sometimes disappear

Please do not try and remove the bug. It will bite you and suck your blood dry. 

Coccinellidae is a widespread family of small beetles. They are commonly known as ladybugs in North America and ladybirds in Britain; "lady" refers to mother Mary. Entomologists prefer the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles to avoid confusion with true bugs. The more than 6,000 described species have a global distribution and are found in a variety of habitats. They are oval beetles with a domed back and flat underside. They are sexually dimorphic.

Who doesn't love a ladybug? Also known as ladybirds or lady beetles, the little red bugs are so beloved because they are beneficial predators, cheerfully chomping on garden pests such as aphids. But ladybugs aren't really bugs at all. They belong to the order Coleoptera, which includes all of the beetles. Europeans have called these dome-backed beetles by the name ladybirds, or ladybird beetles, for over 500 years. In America, the name "ladybug" is preferred; scientists usually use the common name lady beetle for accuracy.

Interesting Facts:

The Name "Lady" Refers to the Virgin Mary

The seven-spotted lady beetle is believed to be the first one named for the Virgin Mary; the red color is said to represent her cloak, and the black spots her seven sorrows.

Ladybug Defenses Include Bleeding Knees and Warning Colors

Startle an adult ladybug and a foul-smelling hemolymph will seep from its leg joints, leaving yellow stains on the surface below.

Ladybugs Live for About a Year

The ladybug lifecycle begins when a batch of bright-yellow eggs are laid on branches near food sources. They hatch as larvae in four to 10 days and then spend about three weeks feeding up. The insects typically live for about a year.

Ladybugs Eat a Tremendous Number of Insects

Almost all ladybugs feed on soft-bodied insects and serve as beneficial predators of plant pests. Gardeners welcome ladybugs with open arms,

 knowing they will munch on the most prolific plant pests.

Farmers use Ladybugs to Control Other Insects

Because ladybugs have long been known to eat the gardener's pestilent aphids and other insects, there have been many attempts to use ladybugs to control these pests. 

Ladybugs Practice Cannibalism

If food is scarce, ladybugs will do what they must to survive, even if it means eating each other. A hungry ladybug will make a meal of any soft-bodied sibling it encounters.