5 Facts on the Ladybug ...

Ladybugs have a huge appetite and their favorite foot is aphids. When it’s time to lay eggs, an adult ladybug will choose and area where plenty of aphids can be found. The larvae of ladybugs will start eating aphids immediately upon hatching. During their lifetime, which only lasts 3 to 6 weeks, one lady bug will eat around 5,000 aphids.

Around 5,000 different species of ladybugs exist today. However, not all are as helpful as others when it comes to consuming pests. A few varieties prefer to munch on plants instead. The squash beetle and Mexican bean beetle is a couple of examples of members of the ladybug family who actually do more harm than good to a garden.

People tend to think ladybugs are pretty, especially the bright red variety. This coloration is actually a defense mechanism. Predators see the bright colored beetles and know to avoid them. They don’t get this brightly colored shell until they are a bit older. All ladybugs are actually born completely black and their dark spots on the brightly color shells fade as they get older.

Once a predator gets a taste of this juice, he knows not to make the mistake of munching on a ladybug ever again. Besides this method of defense, ladybugs also play dead so as to not attract attention to itself.

These little beetles actually hibernate for the winter. They often are found huddled inside of houses around the window sills and in warm corners where they’ve all congregated for the winter.

Even though these little bugs are kind of cute, they do bite if you try to pick one of them up. As soon as you give a little squeeze, it will bite you! What do you do when you find a ladybug in your garden?

Top Photo Credit: PSer