Coccinella Quinquepunctata

Please do NOT take me outside The Netherlands. If I am outside The Netherlands, please bring me to a new cache as soon as possible, than I can travel back towards The Netherlands

Neem mij alstublieft NIET mee naar het buitenland. Indien ik in het buitenland ben, breng mij alstublieft zo snel mogelijk naar een nieuwe cache, dan kan ik terug reizen naar Nederland

Coccinellidae is a family of beetles, known variously as ladybirds (British English, Australian English, South African English), ladybugs (North American English) or lady beetles (preferred by some scientists). Lesser-used names include ladyclock, lady cow, and lady fly.

They are small insects, ranging from 1 mm to 10 mm (0.04 to 0.4 inches), and are commonly yellow, orange, or scarlet with small black spots on their wing covers, with black legs, head and antennae. A very large number of species are mostly or entirely black, grey, or brown and may be difficult for non-entomologists to recognize as coccinellids (and, conversely, there are many small beetles that are easily mistaken as such, like tortoise beetles).

Coccinellids are found worldwide, with over 5,000 species described, more than 450 native to North America alone.

A few species are pests in North America and Europe, but they are generally considered useful insects as many species feed on aphids or scale insects, which are pests in gardens, agricultural fields, orchards, and similar places. The Mall of America, for instance, releases thousands of ladybugs into its indoor park as a natural means of pest control for its gardens

In parts of Northern Europe, tradition says that one's is wish granted if a ladybug lands on oneself (this tradition lives on in North America, where children capture a ladybird, make a wish, and then "blow it away" back home to make the wish come true). In Italy, it is said by some that if a ladybug flies into one's bedroom, it is considered good luck. In central Europe, a ladybug crawling across a girl's hand is thought to mean she will get married within the year. In some cultures they are referred to as lucky bugs (Turkish: ugur böcegi).

In Russia, a popular children's rhyme exists with a call to fly to the sky and bring back bread; similarly, in Denmark a ladybug, called a mariehøne ("Mary's hen"), is asked by children to fly to 'our lord in heaven and ask for fairer weather in the morning'.

The name that the insect bears in the various languages of Europe is mythic. In this, as in other cases, the Virgin Mary has supplanted Freyja, the fertility goddess of Norse mythology; so that Freyjuhaena and Frouehenge have been changed into Marienvoglein, which corresponds with Our Lady's Bird. The esteem with which these insects are regarded has roots in ancient beliefs.

In Irish, the insect is called bóín Dé — or "God's little cow" and in Welsh, the term buwch goch gota is used, containing the word 'buwch' meaning "cow"; similarly, in Croatian it is called Božja ovcica ("God's little sheep"). In France it is known as bête à bon Dieu, "the Good Lord's animal".

In Malta, the ladybug is called nannakola, and little children sang: Nannakola, mur l-iskola/Aqbad siggu u ibda oghla (Ladybug go to school, get a chair and start jumping).

In Finnish, ladybug is called leppäkerttu, translating to blood-Gertrud, which refers to the red color. An alternative name is leppäpirkko. These differ by the female name at the end (Pirkko refers to Bridget).

In Dutch and Flemish, ladybug is called onzelieveheersbeestje, translating to Small animal of Our Dear Lord.