LADYBUGS

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ANATOMY

Ladybugs are a kind of beetle which is an insect. They are usually less than 1/4 in long (from 4-7 mm in length), and have oval bodies. The female ladybug is usually larger than the male. Most of them have red, orange, or yellow elytra (wing covers) and black spots. Some are black with red spots and some ladybugs have no spots at all! The number of spots helps to identify the kind of ladybug. The elytra is a hard wing cover that protects the ladybug's fragile wings. The ladybug's wings are so thin that you can see through them. The pronotum is found just behind the ladybug's head and it often has spots on it. It helps to hide and protect the head. Like all insects, the ladybug has six jointed legs. There are special organs on their feet to help them smell. The ladybug uses its antennae to touch, smell and taste.

LIFE CYCLE

The life cycle of the ladybug is between four to six weeks. In the spring the adults lay up to three hundred eggs in an aphid colony. The eggs hatch in two to five days. The newly hatched larvae feed on aphids for up to three weeks, and then they enter the pupa stage. The adult ladybug emerges about a week later. However, they usually do not have their spots for their first 24 hours of adulthood. So, if you catch one in your schoolyard without spots, you may have found a brand new adult. There may be as many as six generations of ladybugs hatched in a year.

FUN FACTS

1. A female ladybug will lay more than 1000 eggs in her lifetime.
2. A ladybug beats its wings 85 times a second when it flies.
3. Aphids are a ladybug's favorite food.
4. Ladybugs chew from side to side and not up and down like people do.
5. A gallon jar will hold from 72,000 to 80,000 ladybugs.
6. Ladybugs make a chemical that smells and tastes terrible so that birds and other predators won't eat them.
7. If you squeeze a ladybug it will bite you, but the bite won't hurt.
8. The spots on a ladybug fade as the ladybug gets older.
9. During hibernation, ladybugs feed on their stored fat.
10. Ladybugs won't fly if the temperature is below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
11. The ladybug is the official state insect of Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Tennessee.
12. The male ladybug is usually smaller than the female.
13. The Asian Lady Beetle can live up to 2-3 years if the conditions are right.

LADYBUG SONG

Ladybug! Ladybug! Fly away home;
Your house is on fire, your children all gone.