Nature of April | Page 6

Ladybugs

“IF YOU FIND ONE ITS GOOD LUCK”, we all heard this before. Is it really good luck though? As a child I remember people would argue up and down “THE ORANGE ONE BRINGS MORE LUCK THAN THE RED ONES”. If you have yet to figure out what I'm talking about, its those insects that are usually red with black dots, but could also be yellow or orange. Shoot you probably even drew one in elementary. I wouldn't be surprised if you found one at recess either. There’s 6000 species RECORDED, they come in different sizes, and some are actually harmful. The Lady Bug. 

Lady bugs can survive in almost any climate and can live up to 9 months without food. They can be vicious predators which eat thousands of aphids in their lifetime. They are sometimes called lady beetles, ladybug beetles, and ladybird beetles. All ladybugs go through a four-stage life cycle known as metamorphosis. The first of stage is the embryonic stage, in simple words this is when they’re eggs. Once the female ladybu has mated, she can lay of cluster of five to 30 eggs at a time. Although this is true, in a three month period, a single female ladybug can produce more than 1,000 eggs. You’re probably asking “how are lady bugs not taking over the world by now if they lay as many eggs??”. That's because scientists believe ladybugs lay both fertile and infertile eggs, and the newly hatched larvae will feed on the infertile eggs. In two to 10 days, ladybugs began to enter the Larval Stage. Different variables such as temperature can determine whether or not the ladybug will survive during this time. In the two weeks it takes to become fully grown, a single larva can consume 350 to 450 aphids. The larvae feed on other soft bodied plant pests as well including: scale insects, adelgids, mites, and insect eggs. Then comes the pupal stage, this is whenit gets its yellow or orange color. The ladybug’s body undergoes a remarkable transformation into an adult ladybug. Finally, the imaginal stage. This is when they are considered adult ladybugs, they start to develop into that deep red color we are all familiar with.

Ladybugs are an important link in the insect food chain in gardens. They voraciously feed on insects that are considered pests and which make crop growing difficult, making them a friend for gardeners and farmers.