What is a ladybug? Facts about ladybugs. How ladybugs prepare for winter

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03/04/2017 at 18:19 Moscow time 19 176

Each of us knows about the brightest insect - the ladybug.

In this text you will learn everything about this insect.

Anatomical characteristics

The ladybug's body is ovoid and convex. The average size is from 4 mm to 10 mm. Has two pairs of wings. The upper ones, which are rigid, cover the lower ones, which are more fragile, during flight.

The bright color of the hard wing covers warns enemies of danger. The body consists of 3 parts: head, chest (thorax), abdomen. The legs and wings are attached to the thorax.

Two eyes are located on the sides, which allows for a wider view. 2 antennae that help to navigate in space. When there is danger, a yellow, odorous fluid (hemolymph) is released.

general characteristics

Ladybug (Coccinellidae) - belongs to the beetle family (Coleoptera). Its species distribution is very large - about 5,200 subspecies around the world. More than 100 species live in Russia.

Frequently encountered

• Two-spot ladybird (Adalia bipunctata)
• Seven-spotted (Coccinella Septemunctata)
• Twelve-spotted ladybug (Coleomigilla maculata)
• Thirteen-spotted ladybird (Hippodamia tredecimpuctata)
• Quatuordecimpunctata (Propylea quatuordecimpunctata)

• Seventeen-spotted (Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata)
• Asian ladybug (Harmonia axyridis)
• Ladybug (Hippodamia variegata)
• Ladybug (Anatis ocellata)
• Alfalfa twenty-four-spotted ladybird (Subcoccinella vigintiquatuorpunctata)
• Spotless ladybug (Cynegetis impunctata)

The most common is the seven-spotted ladybug (Coccinella Septempunctata). 7 - 8 mm in length.

Habitat

Fields, meadows, areas covered with grass, banks of reservoirs. Most live in a subtropical climate.

Habitat

Europe, Asia and North Africa.

Appearance

Color of black, yellow and red flowers. Short, thin legs are black. The number of points on the body depends on the type of insect and its age.

Lifestyle

They lead a solitary lifestyle. They leave for the winter in the fall, in flocks of 20 to 100 individuals, making long flights. They overwinter in fallen leaves and tree bark; some species prefer to overwinter near humans. At a temperature of 10 degrees Celsius they fly to their permanent habitat.

Nutrition

Most of the individuals are predators. They feed on other insects, most often eating aphids. With the help of such nutrition, they control the number of insect pests.

The larvae also eat aphids. About 1000 thousand aphids are needed to develop one larva. An adult beetle eats 200 pests per day. In some cases, they eat ticks and scale insects.

Insect Reproduction

Fertilization occurs sexually. In the spring, females lay eggs from 5 to 20 pieces, and after a month, larvae hatch from there, which are practically invisible on the plants. The larvae begin to form into a pupa, and after 60 days they turn into a beetle.

Enemies

The most dangerous enemy for this insect is dinocampus. Dinocampus lay their offspring in the pupae of “cows” and even on the body of adults.

Lifespan of a ladybug

Life expectancy depends on the living conditions of the insect. On average from several months to a year. In rare cases, up to 2 years.

Red Book

The ladybug has long been listed in the Red Book not only of Russia, but of the whole world. The number of individuals has sharply decreased due to the massive destruction of aphids, which led to the disappearance of the main food source of this insect.

This beetle is one of the most ancient insects on earth. The “law” protects it from extermination, since this insect is extremely useful in agriculture.

1. Life expectancy in the wild natural conditions from 2 to 3 years.
2. U adult the spots on the flaps are lighter.
3. The larvae grow quite quickly.
4. In especially dangerous cases, she can pretend to be dead.
5. They can live in rooms next to humans.
6. Gardeners can purchase ladybug eggs to place them in their summer cottage.
7. They are considered to bring great luck.

1. Can have a strong toxic effect on animals via hemolymph.
2. Ladybug is used in jewelry making.
3. The larvae can eat their relatives.
4. Some cultures strictly prohibit killing ladybugs, as it can cause disaster.
5. Throughout its life, it can eat about 5,000 aphids.
6. During flight, 85 wing beats are made per second.

The ladybug brings great benefits both to humans and to nature as a whole. A decrease in the number of individuals leads to a deterioration in the condition of not only plants, but also nature as a whole.

A person must be more attentive to this small creature, since even this almost imperceptible creature is able to maintain the natural balance.

I talked about aphids and showed photos of them. Today's story is about the main enemy of aphids - ladybug. Everyone is familiar with the appearance of this bright red beetle with black dots on its back, but not everyone knows what its larvae look like, which are no less important, and are sometimes destroyed due to some similarity with the larvae of the Colorado potato beetle. Today I will show you what a ladybug larva looks like, how it grows, molts, how it eats aphids, pupates, and what hatches from it. I'll show you adult ladybird beetles different types: seven-spotted ladybug(lat. Coccinella septempunctata) And two-point cow(lat. Adalia bipunctata) and tell you how they differ.

The ladybug is perhaps the most widely known beetle. Every child knows him. And most people are quite happy with this general name for quite different appearance dozens of species of ladybugs that make up a whole family of beetles with Latin name Coccinellidae.

ladybugs- small insects, well known for their bright colors and lack of fear of humans. Most people know seven-spotted ladybug, But species diversity There are a lot of these insects. There are 5,200 species of ladybugs in the world, classified into the family of the same name in the order Coleoptera. Thus, numerous species of beetles are relatives of ladybugs.

What does a seven-spotted ladybug look like?

Seven-spotted ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata L.) This almost round beetle with red wing covers and black dots on them is affectionately called in Ukrainian villages - the sun. Indeed, the ubiquitous inhabitant of fields, meadows and gardens cannot but arouse sympathy. For many, it is associated with childhood memories; many have at least once held it in their hands and watched how, having climbed onto their finger, the bug spreads its wings and flies “to the sky.” But entomologists know very well that the peacefulness of this ladybug is just an appearance. In fact, this is a real predator. He is constantly in search of more and more new victims, which he greedily eats.

Her elytra are bright red with black spots. Everyone remembers this. 3 on each elytron and one common subscutellum - seven in total. Upon careful examination, we see two more whitish spots: they are located on the forehead. The body length of beetles can vary: from 5 to 8 mm. This does not mean that a small beetle is young and a large one is old. It’s just that in the first case, the larva from which the beetle was formed clearly did not finish eating, it was simply starving. And in the second, she ate her fill. So the result turned out different.

What does a two-spot ladybug look like?

Differs from her in appearance Two-spot ladybird (Adalia bipunctata). Ladybug is very variable in color. Usually the elytra are red, each with one black spot. They can be completely black or black with 2-3 red spots on each elytra. The pronotum in light forms is yellow with an M-shaped black spot, in dark forms it is black with yellow or white sides. The legs and chest are black, sometimes brownish-black in light forms. The mouthparts and antennae are yellowish-brown. Body length 3.5-5.5 mm.

The species is very common in Russia. It is found in fields, gardens, parks, forest belts, and less often in forests. The beetles overwinter in the litter in the same places where they develop in the summer. Sometimes hibernating beetles are found in crevices in the bark of trees. They appear earlier than other types of ladybugs; already in the second half of March it can be found in an active state.

During the season, the two-spot ladybird undergoes a change in biotopes. In spring and early summer, it is found mainly in orchards, where it feeds on apple, peach and reed aphids, and also settles on other tree species. On herbaceous plants this time the species is very rare. From mid-summer, when the number of aphids in gardens decreases, beetles disperse more or less evenly on grasses and trees in search of food. At this time they are found on cereals and other field crops.

How does a ladybug develop?

On the underside of the leaf, the female lays her orange eggs in clusters of up to fifty in each. Just one female can lay up to 600 eggs. After one to two weeks, agile black larvae with yellow spots, 2-3 mm in size, emerge from them. While still very young, they already show their predatory nature and attack all living things that they see around them. Naturally, during this period, the victims correspond to the size of the predator: usually these are aphid eggs or their newly born larvae.

A month later, having destroyed many aphids and reached a length of a whole centimeter, the larva immediately in the feeding zone turns into a black, motionless pupa. And after another week and a half, a bug emerges from the skin that is cracked along the back. Having rested a little and waited for his elytra to thoroughly harden and become stronger, he realizes that he is hungry and begins to search for food.

The photo shows the molting of a ladybug larva. She sheds the exuvium (old skin) and underneath it is a new skin of light gray color. Insects have an external exoskeleton and are forced to shed the old small one, growing a new large one as they grow.

Ladybugs try to lay eggs near clusters of victims (aphids). Thus, the larvae of ladybirds are provided with food from the first minutes of life, however, finding food for them is not difficult, since the larvae are mobile and run quickly. The larvae are small, with an elongated, segmented body; some species may have branched outgrowths. The color of the larvae is gray (less often yellow) with yellow or red dots. The larvae are as voracious as their parents and can even attack prey that is larger than them. Their development lasts from 2-4 weeks to 3 months, during which time each larva can eat up to 1000 aphids.

The larvae of the two-spot ladybird are campodia-shaped. The head is yellow, only its lateral parts are black. The thoracic segments are white with black scutes. Abdominal tergites are brownish with a small white spot in the middle of almost all segments. The median parascolia on the fourth abdominal segment, as well as the space between them, are orange. This feature is clearly expressed and characterizes the species well. The length of the fourth instar larvae is 5.2-8.2 mm.

What do ladybugs eat?

The vast majority of ladybugs are voracious predators and only a few species are herbivorous. Predatory ladybugs are extremely voracious and can eat up to hundreds of small insects - aphids, spider mites, scale insects, whiteflies, and they hunt not only adult individuals, but also eat their larvae and eggs. Occasionally, ladybugs can even attack butterfly caterpillars. The victims of ladybugs are inactive, so hunting for them comes down to simply eating the victim.

Enemies of ladybugs

Ladybugs themselves have few enemies. Of course, they get in the way of birds, but they have effective remedy protection. From the joint of the legs they secrete a pungent yellow liquid with an unpleasant taste, so birds and lizards more often spit out the caught bug than eat it.

In the photo, a ladybug larva with black spines and yellow spots is eating a winged aphid.

Ladybugs have been respected and loved by people since ancient times. Among all nations, these bugs were considered a symbol of goodness, prosperity, and gullibility. Interestingly, in 55 world languages ​​there are 329 names for these insects, one way or another connected with the concept of God! These insects are called “ladybugs”, “lady sheep”, “lady cattle”, etc. English name(literally translated “bird of the Virgin”) indicates the Virgin Mary.

And this connection arose thanks to seven points on the back of the most common species - the seven-pointed ladybug. The British interpreted the red color of the ladybug as a reminder of the passion of Christ, and seven black dots were associated with the seven sorrows of the Mother of God. Ladybugs have been a favorite object of children's folklore, because they willingly land on hands and clothes, and are accessible to observation even by the smallest naturalists.

In the photo, a ladybug larva is examining a leaf for the presence of aphids. It would seem that here she is, green, sitting, but the ladybug larva is looking for something on the other side of the leaf.

And for good reason. There is no living space on the underside of the leaf because of the aphids that have attached themselves to the veins of the plant. A noble feast awaits the larva!

When the ladybug larva has grown sufficiently and stored nutrients, it is time to metamorphose. She once again sheds her skin, attaches herself to some leaf with the back of her body, and turns into a pupa. After some time, the familiar red beetle with black dots will hatch from it.

What are the benefits of ladybug?

Now these peaceful and beautiful beetles continue to serve people. Ladybugs are used in industrial scale for pest control of agricultural crops. Farmers all over the world are happy to see ladybugs in their green spaces; moreover, there is a practice of importing large quantities of these beetles to many countries as a natural control regulator various types aphids. The destruction of pests is the main task of two-spot ladybugs, because it helps to reduce the total number of affected plants.

There is an interesting story connected with the seven-spotted cow. Knowing about its amazing gluttony and the enormous benefits it brings by protecting plants from aphids, American entomologists decided to bring (as they say in such cases, introduce) it to North America. They rightly believed that if this species acclimatizes, that is, adapts to the American climate, begins to reproduce and spread independently, local farmers will receive an excellent free assistant in the fight against harmful insects. The cows were caught in the thousands in Europe, placed in special container boxes and sent to the USA. There they were released everywhere, believing that they themselves would choose the most suitable places of residence. This went on for many years. And all to no avail. It must be said that not every introduction of a beneficial insect, as well as other animals and plants, is easy. Sometimes all efforts end in failure, and the efforts are wasted. In other cases, acclimatization takes many years. But this is what finally happened to the seven-spotted ladybird.

Desperate American entomologists were already ready to abandon this idea, when one day a New York nature lover brought to the entomological museum a beetle he had caught that had never been seen on the American continent. Imagine the surprise of the specialists when in the “foundling” they discovered one whose introduction and acclimatization had taken years and a lot of money. When investigating the story of the capture of the beetle, it turned out that it was found near the main airfield of New York. We began to explore its surroundings and quickly discovered a huge number of these beetles. They settled well here and ate with appetite their exotic food—North American aphids. It turned out that a large batch of Christmas trees imported from Europe, which had become unusable during the long transportation, had somehow been dumped near the airfield. Most likely, the cows were accidentally brought in with them. In one of European countries They settled down for the winter in the midst of these pre-prepared fluffy Christmas trees. But instead of calmly waiting for the arrival of spring, we unexpectedly found ourselves overseas. Here they had no choice but to wake up in a warm climate ahead of schedule and begin feeding and reproducing.

Today we will talk about the arthropod beetle insect - the ladybug. For many, this beetle is the personification of summer and the warm sun.

Both adults and children love it too. Where does this insect get its name and what is it called in different countries?

Scientifically, the ladybug is called "coccineus", which translated from Latin means "scarlet". This beetle has many popular names in different countries of the world and they are all very cute:

• the Germans have a “Virgin Mary bug”,
• among the Czechs - “Sun”,
• Latin Americans call it “St. Anthony’s cow.”

Where the Russian nickname for the beetle “ladybug” came from is not known for certain. One of the versions is the peculiarity of the beetle, when in danger, is to secrete a yellow liquid similar to milk. In fact, this liquid is poisonous and is designed to scare away enemies. And the word “godly” means harmless. Another assumption is that the beetle has this name because by destroying aphids, it saves the crop.

Description of the beetle structure with photographs

The sizes of the bugs vary from 4 to 10 millimeters. Their body is almost round, the abdomen is flat, and the top is convex. Some varieties of ladybugs have small hairs on their bodies. The body structure is distinguished by the beetle's head, pronotum, chest and six legs, belly, elytra and wings.

Beetle head small, connected to the chest and completely motionless. Some varieties have an elongated head. The eyes are large and the antennae are very flexible.

Pronotum of a beetle resembles a sphere with a notch at the leading edge. There are often dark spots on the pronotum.

Ladybug has 3 pairs of legs. The insect moves quite quickly in thickets of grass due to the special structure of its legs.

Bugs can fly thanks to the existing pair of wings. There are also elytra that protect the wings while on the ground.

When danger arises, for example, a bird attack, the bug releases a liquid with a pungent odor, which scares off ill-wishers. The bug is also helped by its bright color.

Coloring of ladybug elytra can be different and the color directly depends on the type of insect. So, the color of the elytra of a ladybug is:

• scarlet,
• yellow,
• black,
• blue,
• brown.

The spots on a bright background are usually dark, but they can also be yellow and even white. Some types of bugs may have abstract spots, some will have distinct polka dots, and others will have none at all. Often such patterns can help determine the sex of an individual.

Types of insects

The ladybug family includes more than four thousand species beetles, which are conventionally divided into families and 360 genera.

The most interesting views ladybugs:

Habitat

The range of ladybugs covers the entire globe, except Antarctica and permafrost zones.

Some types of insects live only on plants densely populated by aphids, others choose reed grass and sedge growing on river banks, and still others require exclusively field grass for normal life.

As a rule, these cute beetles live separately and gather in groups only for the winter or during the mating season.

Ladybug is very thermophilic, therefore, when cold weather sets in, bugs fly away in groups to warm regions for the winter. There are also sedentary varieties of ladybugs; they wait out the frosts, gathering in numerous groups. Such a group can number up to 40 million beetles. They take refuge in stones, fallen leaves, and tree bark.

The lifespan of an insect is short. If there is no lack of food, then their life reaches one year, with a lack of food - several months.

Insect feeding

All ladybugs, with rare exceptions - predatory insects and prefer aphids and mites. They are also not averse to eating caterpillars and butterfly eggs. If there is not enough food, then the insect will not disdain and eat the eggs of the Colorado potato beetle.

There are varieties of ladybugs that feed exclusively on grass, mushroom mycelium and fruits.

Insect reproduction and development

An individual becomes sexually mature between three and six months. Mating begins in the spring. Immediately after waking up from hibernation the beetles are ready for the mating process. The female emits a pungent odor, thanks to which the male finds her. The insect lays eggs on plants inhabited by aphids, thereby providing food to its future offspring. One clutch can contain up to 400 eggs. After the mating period, all females die.

After two weeks, small variegated larvae emerge from the eggs. Their body is covered with a pattern of yellow, white and orange spots. For the first few days, the larvae feed on egg shells and unfertilized eggs, and when they get a little stronger, they take on aphids.

The larval stage lasts from 4 to 7 weeks, after which the pupation stage begins. The pupa is attached to the leaf and the body of the insect is gradually formed.

After a few days, usually from 7 to 10, an adult ladybug appears.

The benefits and harms of insects

These gluttonous kids benefit thousands of gardeners and gardeners by eliminating aphids- the most annoying enemy of all plants. A beetle larva can eat more than 50 aphids per day, and an adult beetle can eat up to 100 individuals. Some people specifically breed ladybugs on their plots, this is especially true on an industrial scale. Beetles are sprayed over agricultural fields using aircraft.

Despite this, some species of these insects that live in the tropics and subtropics are capable of destroying crops by eating plants. IN Russian Federation There are several species that attack vegetable crops.

A story about a ladybug for children will tell interesting information about this bug.

The Story of a Ladybug

The ladybug is an insect that is distributed throughout the globe. More than 4,000 species of ladybugs are known. Ladybugs are not necessarily scarlet, and dots are not necessarily black, and there may be no dots at all; there may be stripes, spots and even commas. It all depends on the type of insect.

The ladybug has small wings, and under them there are hard translucent underwings. The ladybug can deftly crawl along the stems of grass, and can even fly over long distances.

The bright coloring of ladybugs - red or yellow with black dots - has a protective function, warning predators such as insectivorous birds that ladybugs have a very unpleasant taste.

Why is the ladybug called that? The origin of the name “cow” is most likely related to the peculiarity of the bug: it can produce milk, and not ordinary milk, but red milk! Such liquid is released from the paws in case of danger. The milk has a very unpleasant taste and in large doses is even DEADLY! for predators who want to eat the cow.

And she was probably nicknamed “God’s” for her harmless character and her help in preserving the harvest by destroying aphids.

According to ancient beliefs, the cow is directly connected with God, she lives in the sky and only occasionally descends to earth. IN ancient Rus' the ladybug was approached with a question about the upcoming weather. If it flew away from the palm, it meant good weather, and if not, then it meant bad weather.

The ladybug is not only beautiful and people love to admire it, it is also useful for humans! The ladybug insect destroys various dangerous pests, which brings enormous benefits to agriculture.

The ladybug, despite its harmless appearance, is a predator. It eats sedentary aphids - plant pests. This baby destroys almost a hundred aphids or three hundred of their larvae per day. One ladybug lays about four hundred eggs in its life. Each of them hatches into a larva, which also feeds on aphids. It grows and pupates in less than a month. The pupa sticks to the leaves and hangs upside down. Soon an adult ladybug emerges from it.

Some farmers specifically breed ladybugs on their plots. And so that such a beneficial insect does not fly away, they set up special houses where the bugs can comfortably overwinter.

How long does a ladybug live? Ladybugs live from 2 months to 2 years, but in winter they hibernate. The ladybug hibernates in cracks under the bark, under stones, in fallen leaves on the edges of the forest. For the winter, beetles gather in large groups.

The ladybug is considered a symbol of good luck; in ancient times, people worshiped and idolized this insect. The image of this beetle on clothing or various decorations were considered a talisman.

The ancient Slavs considered the ladybug to be the messenger of the Sun goddess. It is believed that you should not drive away a ladybug that has landed on you, so as not to frighten away your fortune.

Let's get acquainted with a real superpredator today, we'll talk about the ladybug (lat. Coccinellidae).

The size of the ladybug ranges from 4 to 10 mm. The body shape of insects is almost round or elongated oval, flat below and highly convex above. Its surface in some species of ladybugs is covered with fine hairs. The body structure of ladybugs includes a head, a pronotum, a thorax consisting of three sections, three pairs of legs, an abdomen, and wings with elytra. The insect's head is small, motionlessly connected to the prothorax and, depending on the species, may be slightly elongated. The ladybug's eyes are relatively large. The antennae, consisting of 8-11 segments, are highly flexible.

Ladybugs fly using their two hind wings. In the process of evolution, the front wings of the ladybug were transformed into hard elytra, which serve as protection for the main pair for the period while the ladybugs are on the ground.

The distribution area of ​​ladybugs includes all continents of the globe and all climatic zones, with the exception of Antarctica and areas covered with eternal snow.

Some types of ladybugs prefer to inhabit only those plants on which a colony of aphids has developed, others prefer sedge and reeds growing along ponds and rivers as a home, while others need field grasses to survive.

Regardless of their species, ladybugs lead a separate lifestyle, gathering together only during the mating season, migration or wintering.

All species from the ladybird family are heat-loving insects, so most individuals living in temperate latitudes, on the eve of the onset of cold weather, gather in huge flocks and fly to countries with warm climates for the winter. However, there are also sedentary insects. They wait out the winter cold, huddled together in huge communities, the number of which can reach 40 million individuals. In this case, the total weight of a flock of ladybugs can be several tons. Insects use debris from rocks, fallen bark and tree foliage as shelter from unfavorable conditions. But ladybugs don't live long. With sufficient food supplies, the lifespan of ladybugs can reach 1 year and very rarely - up to two years; if there is a shortage of food, this period is reduced to several months. Juveniles are always brightly colored, which gradually fades with age.

Among the variety of species of ladybugs, almost all are predators and large quantities eat aphids and mites.

The menu of adult ladybugs consists of sedentary mass insects that are easy to catch: aphids, scale insects, whiteflies and spider mites of various types.

This preference is not accidental, because cows are very voracious and can eat up to 100-150 mites or aphids daily. Ladybird larvae feed exclusively on aphids, eating up to 60 (if adults) or 300 aphid larvae daily. Over the entire period of development of a ladybug, the number of aphids eaten by it is in the thousands.

Ladybirds reach sexual maturity between 3 and 6 months of life. The breeding season for ladybugs begins in mid-spring. Having gained strength after emerging from hibernation or migration, they begin to mate. The male finds the female by the specific smell that she emits during this period.

A female ladybug lays eggs on plants near an aphid colony to provide her offspring with a supply of food. Ladybug eggs, attached to the underside of the leaves, are oval in shape with slightly tapered tips. Their surface may have a wrinkled texture and may be yellow, orange or White color. The number of eggs in a clutch reaches 400 pieces. Unfortunately, after the mating season, female ladybirds die.

After 1-2 weeks, variegated oval or flat-shaped ladybug larvae emerge from the laid eggs. The surface of their body may be covered with fine bristles or hairs, and the pattern on the body is formed by a combination of yellow, orange and white spots. In the first days of their life, the larvae eat the shell of the egg from which they hatched, as well as unfertilized eggs or eggs with a dead embryo. Having gained strength, the ladybird larvae begin to destroy aphid colonies.

The larval stage of insect development lasts about 4-7 weeks, after which pupation occurs. The pupa is attached to the plant leaf by the remains of the exoskeleton of the larva. During this period, all body parts characteristic of an insect are formed.
After 7-10 days, a fully formed adult individual emerges from the cocoon.

There are more than 4,000 known species of ladybugs, which are distributed in all parts of the world. Some of them are found on all plants: trees, shrubs or grasses that only have aphids; others live only on field grasses; still others - in meadows adjacent to streams; the fourth - only on trees; finally, some species live on reeds and other aquatic plants; the latter are distinguished by longer legs, which help them stay on plants that bend easily from the wind. Let's look at the most interesting of them.

Two-spot ladybird (lat. Adalia bipunctata)

The two-spot ladybug (lat. Adalia bipunctata) is a beetle with a body length of up to 5 mm, dark red elytra and two large black spots. The prothorax lacks an anterior carina. The pronotum is black and has a yellow lateral border.

Seven-spot ladybird (lat. Coccinella septempunctata)

The seven-spotted ladybug (lat. Coccinella septempunctata) is the most common ladybug in Europe. The size of a ladybug reaches 7-8 mm. The elytra are colored red; they have one small white spot (at the base) and three large black spots. The seventh spot of the ladybug is located on the pronotum (scutellum).

Twelve-spotted ladybug (lat. Coleomegilla maculata)

The twelve-spotted ladybug (lat. Coleomegilla maculata) has a length of 6 mm and pink or red coloration of the elytra with 6 points on each of them. It lives in North America; the adult insect feeds on pollen, causing damage to agricultural crops. The larvae eat aphids.

Twenty-two-spot ladybird, or psyllobora (lat. Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata)

Twenty-two-spot ladybird, or psyllobora (lat. Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata). The beetle is up to 3-4.5 mm long, black below, lemon yellow above. The body is hemispherical. The male's head has two black dots, the female's is black. Pronotum with five black spots. Each elytra has eleven black spots: four along the suture, three along the middle, three along the edge and one on the edge. Sometimes the spots disappear or merge into the bandage.

Interesting Facts
- Since ancient times, people have idolized and worshiped the ladybug. The ancient Slavs considered her a messenger of the Sun goddess. With its help they predicted the upcoming weather. A bug flying away from the palm promised a good clear day, and an insect wanting to stay on the hand foreshadowed bad weather.

For scientists, the annual flight of ladybugs for the winter still remains a mystery. Bugs always return to places once chosen. This phenomenon cannot be explained by the insect’s good memory, since due to their short lifespan, new generations return to their old wintering grounds.

A hungry ladybug larva, keen on searching for food, can cover a “huge” distance for insects - 12 meters.

The larvae of these cute bugs can be cannibals, eating their relatives who have not yet hatched from the eggs.

In ancient times, the poison secreted by ladybugs, oddly enough, was used for good purposes - applied to an aching tooth.

Ladybugs are simply tireless lovers in intimate matters. They can spend up to 10 hours straight in each other's arms! Well, as the most insatiable insects, they are prone to all sorts of ailments that are sexually transmitted from males to females. Coccypolypus is a mite that overtakes the latter, after which they cannot produce offspring.

Few people know that there are even monuments to ladybugs in many countries: Japan, Warsaw, Seoul, in the French city of Millau and in Russia - in Volgograd.

Ladybug Monument in Tokyo, Japan

Ladybug Monument in Seoul, South Korea

Monument to a ladybug on a building in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Scientific classification:
Domain: Eukaryotes
Kingdom: Animals
Type: Arthropods
Class: Insects
Squad: Coleoptera
Family: Ladybugs (lat. Coccinellidae (Latreille, 1807))