Ladybug insect: types, nutrition, reproduction, photo, enemies, description

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Everyone associates the ladybug There is probably no person who has not held it in the palm of his hand at least once. There are many poems dedicated to this little insect, which kids read every time it fell into their hands. Some consider it a symbol of good luck, others consider it an assistant in the fight against harmful insects in gardens and vegetable gardens - it evokes sympathy among everyone.

Origin of the species and description

Photo: Ladybug

The ladybug is a very common ancient arthropod insect all over the world, a representative of the order Coleoptera and the ladybird family. This insect received its scientific name Coccinellidae due to its scarlet color. The bug lives almost everywhere. It was popularly nicknamed the ladybug because of the poisonous white liquid or “milk” that the insect secretes to scare away predators, and the ladybug because it helped in the fight against aphids and other pests to preserve the harvest, had a gentle disposition, and did not cause any harm to humans. .

Video: Ladybug

In Germany and Switzerland, the tiny insect is called St. Mary's bug, in South America - St. Anthony's ladybug. There were many legends about this little bug; it was said to have the ability to influence the weather.

Interesting fact: Even in ancient times, the Slavs considered the ladybug to be a heavenly creature, a messenger of the sun. That is why she was often called “Sunny”. It was forbidden to drive away the insect, so as not to incur bad luck. A bright bug that flew into a home brought blessings.

There are a huge number of varieties of ladybugs: the entire family has more than four thousand species, which in turn are divided into 7 subfamilies and 360 genera. The ladybug differs from other representatives of the family Coccinellidae in the structure of its legs. In the structure of each of them there are three visible and one hidden segment, so they seem to be three-component.

Ladybug: description, structure, characteristics. What does a ladybug look like?

According to the biological classification, the ladybug is an arthropod insect that belongs to the Coleoptera and the family of ladybirds.

The size of a ladybug ranges from 4 to 10 mm. The shape of their body is either round or oval-elongated, flat below and very convex above. The body surface of some types of ladybugs is covered with fine hairs. The structure of their body includes a head, a pronotum, a chest consisting of three sections, an abdomen, wings with elytra and three pairs of paws.

The ladybug's head is small (although in some species it may be slightly elongated), it is motionlessly connected to the anterior chest. But the ladybug's eyes are relatively large. The insect's antennae, which consist of 8-11 segments, are highly flexible.

The ladybug's pronotum is convex, has a transverse structure and a notch at the anterior edge. On its surface there are often “signature” spots of different shapes.

Thanks to the presence of three pairs of paws, the ladybug can move quite quickly both on the grass and along plant stems. The abdomen of ladybugs consists of five or six segments, which are covered from below by sternites (segmental semirings).

Despite the fact that ladybugs have two pairs of wings, they fly only with the help of their two hind ones. The front wings, in the process of evolution, were transformed into hard elytra, which serve as protection for the hind wings at the moment when the ladybug is on the ground.

As a means of protection against predators, ladybugs are capable of secreting a kind of poisoned “milk” - cantharidin, a toxic yellow liquid that also has an unpleasant odor. Additionally, the bright colors of the ladybug scare away enemies. The color of the ladybug's protective covers can be not only bright red, but also yellow, black, white with spots of different colors and different configurations. Sometimes the pattern on the pronotum of a cow can indicate its gender.

How birds sleep

Birds that spend the night not in tree branches practically sleep standing up.
Why don't they fall to the ground? Birds have a long tendon, about the same length as the bird's leg, connected to a strong muscle. When the bird sits, the tendon stretches, acts on the fingers, and they compress, covering the branch. Many birds sleep with their heads tucked under their wings and their feathers raised to protect them from the cold. Herons and storks often sleep standing on one leg. Some parrots in South America sleep in an original way. They hang upside down, clinging to a branch with one leg. Some swifts sleep in a large ball.

Bird sleep is associated with some special metabolic issues. In birds, metabolism is very intense. The normal temperature of birds is 42 C, that is, the temperature that a person experiences only with a serious illness. During sleep, chemical processes in the birds' bodies slow down, and body temperature drops to 20 C.

Many water birds sleep "float". Often ducks and swans are captured by ice: while they sleep, the water around them freezes. Seagulls also sleep on the water. They claim that they can fall asleep for a short time during flight. The ability to sleep in flight is also attributed to birds that can make long flights, such as albatrosses. This may be true, but albatrosses undoubtedly spend most of their sleep on the water. Some animals sleep underwater.

What does a ladybug eat?

Photo: Miraculous ladybug

The ladybug is a real predator among insects. Thanks to the structure of its jaw and the functioning of its digestive tract, it is able to hunt other insects and then quickly digest them. There are varieties that choose plant food: pollen, mold, flowers and leaves.

The diet of predatory species includes mainly:

aphids in huge quantities;
spider mites;
caterpillars;
insect larvae;
butterfly eggs;
some do not even disdain the larvae of Colorado beetles.

Ladybugs eat a lot, they are always hungry, especially their larvae. Each individual can easily destroy more than a hundred aphid larvae per day. Having large eyes, insects mainly use only their acute sense of smell in search of food.

The bugs do not hunt their victims, but only slowly, leisurely move through the foliage in search of food, and when they find a colony of aphids or a clutch of eggs of pests, they linger for a long time in this place for a meal until they destroy it completely. That is why the ladybug is a welcome guest on any personal plot, agricultural fields with crops, and in the garden. They are even specially bred at special enterprises and then distributed over cultivated lands with the help of agricultural aviation. Unfortunately, some varieties of these bugs, mainly living in Asia, cause damage to crops.

Now you know what ladybugs eat. Let's see how to breed these beautiful insects.

Features of the development cycle

Ladybugs reproduce in spring or autumn. Depending on what species the female belongs to, she can lay from 3 to 250-300 eggs at a time. As a rule, insects do this near the aphid colony. Larval development usually occurs within 4-7 days. At the same time, every day she feeds on aphids. By the end of the second week, the larva fully matures and transforms into a pupa. The cocoon is usually located in an open place.

The transformation of the pupa into an adult occurs after 4-7 weeks. In the absence of the main type of food (aphids), seven-spotted ladybugs often move to the beaches. During such forced migration, insects are very hungry, so they can annoy even people with their weak bites.

Lifestyle

Ladybugs prefer to live “alone”, apart from other representatives of the species.

Only during the mating season do they come together to continue their family line. They also gather together for flights and wintering.

A ladybug can be called a fruit-loving bug, therefore, with the onset of a cold period, all insects living in temperate latitudes gather together and fly away to warm countries.

Among insects there is a sedentary species. They do not fly to countries with hot and dry climates, but gather in one place and winter in huge communities, reaching 400 million adult individuals. If you calculate how much such a “ball” weighs, you can get a figure equal to several tons.

To shelter from unfavorable climatic conditions, the “suns” hide in the ruins of stones and also take cover under fallen leaf blades of shrubs.

Under good conditions and the availability of food, spotted insects can live for 1 year. Under unfavorable conditions, the lifespan of insects does not exceed several months.

Habitat

The habitat 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.

The ladybug is very thermophilic, so when cold weather sets in, the 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.

Types of ladybugs, photos and names

Zoologists identify 4,000 different species of ladybugs, divided into 7 subfamilies. We will describe the most interesting among them.

Two-spot ladybird

This is a beetle with a body length of up to 5 mm, with a dark red body and two black dots (hence the name).

Seven-spotted ladybird

It is this type of ladybug that is most common in Europe. Its size is 7-8 mm. Its elytra are painted red, there are three black spots on the sides, and the seventh is located near the head of the insect.

Twelve-spotted ladybug

This ladybug has a length of 6 mm, a bright pink or red color, and, accordingly, 12 black spots on the elytra.

Thirteen-spotted ladybird

This type of ladybug has as many as 13 spots against the background of red-brown elytra; some of its spots can merge with each other.

Asian ladybug

This ladybird is up to 7 mm long and is divided into two subspecies. One of them has a yellow wing cover with black spots, both large and small. The second subspecies is characterized by black coloration of the elytra, on which red-orange spots are visible.

Ocellated ladybird

This is a very large representative of the ladybird family, reaching up to 10 mm in length. It has red or yellow elytra and black spots surrounded by lighter rims.

Pointless ladybug

This is a very rare species; its characteristic feature is the absence of signature spots. Also, the red or brown body of the pointless ladybug is covered with small fibers.

Blue ladybug

This is another unusual member of the ladybug family, having a characteristic blue color. Such insects live exclusively in Australia.

House cricket (house cricket) - description, appearance, characteristics.

House crickets are fairly small insects. The size of the slender, slightly flattened body, covered with a hard chitinous shell, in adult individuals ranges from 16 to 26 mm in length. The color of the domestic cricket can be grayish-yellow, straw-fawn or various shades of brown with streaks, specks or spots of indeterminate shape.

On the head of the cricket, which resembles a flattened egg in shape, 3 dark arcuate stripes are clearly visible. The small eyes located on its sides have a complex facet structure. The mouthparts of crickets are of the gnawing type in structure. The antennae, consisting of several segments, are an organ of touch. Often their size is slightly greater than the length of the cricket's body.

The rear pair of well-developed membranous wings helps house crickets easily fly from place to place. At rest, the cricket's wings lie along the abdomen and resemble long, sharp tails. If necessary, house crickets can travel quite long distances. When the insect is on the ground, its wings are reliably protected from damage by dense elytra that lie flat on the back, with the right one slightly overlapping the left.

Like all orthoptera, the house cricket has 3 pairs of legs. The hind legs have thickened thighs and are designed to perform fairly long jumps. It is noteworthy that the hearing organs of these insects are located on the shins of the front pair of legs. The paired appendages located on the last segment of the abdomen are quite long and resemble peculiar antennae sticking out in different directions.

Sexual dimorphism is expressed in the presence of a special sound apparatus in male crickets, which is similar in structure to the sound apparatus of grasshoppers, but differs from it in greater complexity and a different arrangement of components. The stridulatory vein, which functions as a closure, is located on the right elytra, and the vein against which it rubs is located on the left elytra. When they rub against each other, the familiar trill of a cricket appears. In crickets, the sound apparatus is more developed and occupies a larger area than in grasshoppers.

Female crickets have an ovipositor at the very end of their abdomen, shaped like a spear. Its length ranges from 11 to 15 mm. With the help of this organ, females dig holes in the soil into which fertilized eggs are laid.

The average lifespan of a house cricket rarely exceeds 3 months.

Social structure and reproduction

Photo: Ladybugs

All ladybugs are solitary. Only during the mating season do males use a specific smell to look for a female to mate with. This usually happens in early spring and soon the female lays up to 400 eggs on the lower surface of the leaves. They are oval in shape and can be yellow or orange. The female chooses a place for laying closer to the aphid colony so that the offspring are provided with food. This is the only manifestation of caring for their offspring. Most often, she dies after this.

After a couple of weeks, the larvae appear. Their body is covered with hairs and has a variegated color; the pattern combines yellow and brown spots. In the first days, the larvae eat the remaining egg shells and unfertilized eggs, then go in search of aphids. The stage lasts from 4 to 7 weeks, after which the formation of a pupa occurs, which then attaches to the edge of the leaflet, where its further transformation occurs.

At the end of it, after 8-10 days, the skin peels off from the pupa like a stocking to the end of the abdomen. A full-fledged individual ladybug appears, which gradually acquires its usual bright color. At first, its elytra are pale in color; by this feature one can easily distinguish an adult from a young one. Young bugs are ready to reproduce at 3 months of life, some only at six months - it all depends on the quality of nutrition and environmental conditions.

How do ladybugs reproduce? Stages of ladybug development

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 are yellow, orange or white. The number of eggs in a clutch reaches 400 pieces. Unfortunately, after the mating season, female ladybirds die.

Ladybug eggs

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.

Ladybug larva

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.

Ladybug pupa

Natural enemies of ladybugs

Photo: Ladybug in flight

The ladybug in the wild does not have many enemies due to the specific poisonous white secretion that it secretes. If a bird even once tastes a brightly colored bug, its bitter taste will discourage it from hunting for it for the rest of its life. Many insects quickly die from the ladybug's hemolymph.

The main enemy of ladybugs is dinocampus, a small winged insect that kills adult ladybugs and even its larvae by laying its eggs inside their bodies. As they develop, they feed on the body of their victim, and then the empty shell simply bursts, like in some famous horror films. Dinocampus finds bugs by their protective smell, with which they successfully scare away their other enemies. Parasites are capable of significantly reducing the number of ladybugs in a short period of time.

The active use of various chemicals for cultivating fields and the general depressing state of the environment also have a strong influence on the reduction in the population of these bright bugs. In some countries, there is a trend of replacing chemicals with natural, environmentally friendly methods of pest control. Ladybugs are bred in huge quantities and are even a national export item.

Nutrition of the sun and its enemies

Small-looking beetles have an almost brutal appetite. They destroy a large number of predators. Moreover, adults and larvae eat a lot:

aphids;
Ladybug larva.
ticks;
caterpillars;
scale insects;
eggs of Colorado beetles;
butterfly eggs.

In turn, ladybugs themselves are perfectly protected from pests by their bright color. In the animal world it is known that bright color is evidence of unsuitability for food. They also have a liquid that is secreted for self-defense.

The ladybug has practically no enemies. They are eaten only by hedgehogs and praying mantises. The insect Dinocampus is a parasite. It lays eggs in the beetle's body and eats it from the inside.

Population and species status

Photo: Ladybug

The population of ladybugs has decreased significantly due to active control of aphids. These little bugs simply have nothing to eat. Due to rapid reproduction and a small number of natural enemies, the population is able to recover in a short period of time if food is available. The status of the species is currently stable. At this time, only some rare varieties of these beetles are under threat of complete extinction, for example, the Australian blue and pointless ones.

Interesting fact: In search of food, a hungry ladybird larva can travel up to 12 meters, which is a huge distance for insects.

Trying to restore the population of beneficial bugs artificially, people sometimes, even with their good intentions, on the contrary, cause significant damage to it. In recent years, millions of individuals, specially bred ladybugs, have been released into their natural habitat, which, due to obvious mutations, changed the nature of their feeding and chose their own relatives as victims. All this caused the death of a huge number of beneficial bugs in all European countries. A thoughtful approach to this problem is needed without undue interference in the natural course of processes in nature.

Growing at home

Not all insects in natural conditions can withstand the cold. It's the same with bugs living in an artificial environment. Therefore, if you decide to start growing them, get pets in the spring. The chances that your insects will be healthy and viable will increase. Moreover, with the arrival of the first warm days, the activity of beetles is not yet high, they stay in groups, and it is not difficult to collect them.

A house for ladybugs can be a plastic terrarium with a lid, a plywood box with slots for air circulation, or a wooden cage with a covered top.

Dry leaves, small branches or wood shavings should be placed at the bottom of the box. In such conditions, the insects will be comfortable, they can live for several months, overwinter, and begin to mate in the spring.

Some gardeners and businessmen raise ladybugs at home in transparent plastic containers, make very small holes in the lid, or cover them with gauze or mosquito net and feed them with a mixture of yeast and sugar. Why do they do this? To then release them on your site to combat aphids or for sale to other gardeners.

To create comfortable conditions for the life and reproduction of ladybugs, small plants are planted in their housing, which are populated by aphids, so the ladybug finds itself almost in a natural habitat, can hunt and lead an active lifestyle. In captivity, ladybugs reproduce better than in nature, and at the same time, adult individuals remain living with their faces at the same time.

Ladybugs are insects popular due to their bright colors. The best habitat for ladybugs is the wild, but if you are lucky enough to find an insect near your home and want to take care of it, it is not difficult to do so - provide the ladybug with food, water and recreate the natural conditions of its habitat.

Ladybug protection

Photo: Ladybug from the Red Book

The ladybug has long been listed in the Red Book of many countries, including Russia. Its complete disappearance threatens to disrupt the balance in nature and actively multiply pests, which will then have to be destroyed with chemicals, and this in turn will further destroy the balance - a vicious circle is obtained.

Interesting fact: Until the forties of the 19th century, in many European countries and the United States of America, special workers tracked the wintering sites of ladybugs every fall and collected the insects in bags in winter, and then released them into gardens and fields in the spring. This environmentally friendly method of exterminating insect pests has been replaced by the active use of chemical means of killing aphids.

It is likely that in the near future people will completely abandon the use of chemicals and turn for help to ladybugs, which from time immemorial have lived next to people and helped them in the struggle for the harvest. It is not for nothing that since ancient times people have praised and worshiped this tiny bug.

Nowadays, the ladybug is successfully bred under artificial conditions. Then they are sent to the fields, but, according to many experts, it is enough just to create favorable conditions for these bugs and their population will recover on its own without human help and will remain at the level required by nature. It is necessary to maintain a balance, and for this, first of all, you should abandon the use of chemicals to treat crops against aphids, and also direct your efforts to reduce the overall level of environmental pollution.

Why does a ladybug land on a person?

Sometimes a pleasant event occurs that predicts good luck in various areas of life. If a ladybug lands on you, the omen takes on different meanings depending on where exactly the charming bug ends up.

On your head

Signs say that a bright insect on the forehead is a good sign for work. A career take-off, a positive outcome from an unpleasant situation in the work team, and rapid development of your own business are expected.

Any difficulties are now easily overcome, and ill-wishers are not scary. The main thing is not to brush the “messenger of good luck” to the ground in fear, so that success does not pass you by

It is important in which zone the bug is located:

Signs promise a meeting with true love for people who have had a ladybug land on their face. They will receive the desired new impressions, or established relationships will shine with new colors.
A cute insect on the top of the head portends an interesting job for a manager, a higher step on the career ladder, or the acquisition of people management skills.
A bug lost in the hair is a signal for a businessman: you can actively develop your entrepreneurial activity.

Don’t scare the “guest”, put your hand up - the bug will crawl onto your fingers, and from there it can “start” upward.

On hand

If a ladybug sits on your right hand, pleasant events await you (your cherished wish will come true), if on your left forearm, changes will affect the most valuable area of life - health (it will noticeably improve).

Another version of the interpretation of the sign. The hand is a human organ that is associated with making a profit (“hold in hands”, “give in hands” and the like).

On the other hand, most things are done with hands, so this part of the human body symbolizes success in all endeavors. Therefore, if a ladybug sits on the left hand, this portends good luck in the field of finance, if the bug is located on the right palm, this guarantees the successful completion of any projects.

With the help of a ladybug landing on your hand, you can tell fortunes:

Ask about your concerns and gently blow under the beetle's wings. If it takes off immediately, it means that the problem will not be solved for long. If the “guest” remains sitting on the hand, then the wish will not come true, or its fulfillment will take a while.
You can guess the weather in the same way. If the little red bug doesn’t take off from your palm for a long time, it means it’s raining; it leaves immediately – clear weather is expected.
For the girl, the little messenger of the gods will predict where to expect her betrothed. To do this, before blowing on the bug, you need to ask it to show the direction. And when the insect takes off, watch its flight. In which direction the ladybug goes, matchmakers will have to wait from there. If the red bug remains sitting on the palm, you can’t count on marriage in the near future.
If a girl holds a ladybug in her closed fist (so as not to crush or damage the insect), and then opens her palm, the behavior of the bug will show her betrothed. If the insect flies literally vertically upward, then the groom may be standing nearby.
If a ladybug lands on your upper limb, you can ask her for help in finding mutual love. Is the insect already on your hand? Count to 22. If the insect does not fly up before the count is completed, a decent life and happy love awaits you.

By holding the messenger of heaven on her hand for a longer time, the girl can count on the bug to give her the power with which she can quickly find her groom.

A ladybug on the shoulder foreshadows joyful events, for example, a meeting with a friend or help from a person who was not previously considered close (the shoulder symbolizes friendly support).

Folk omens categorically do not recommend shaking off God’s creation with your second hand (this way you can brush off your luck with your own hands).

Folk signs categorically do not recommend shaking off God’s creation with your second hand

To make your wish come true, according to the signs, you need to raise your finger up (the insect will reach the highest point and fly away). Another option is to carefully transplant the bug onto a high branch.

On the body

It happens that a ladybug sits on the head and then moves through clothes or various parts of the body. In such a situation, signs promise different events depending on the place where the insect is located:

On the chest - soon you will find your soul mate. Happiness in love is guaranteed.
On the back - a speedy resolution of long-standing problems.
On the leg - quickly achieving your goals (if the bug crawled to the end of the leg). If the insect stops in the middle of the limb, you should not expect quick changes.

If a bug just crawls on your clothes, you can expect a pleasant surprise from a loved one. You may receive a present.

The benefits and harms of ladybugs

The benefits of the ladybug, especially in our latitudes, are undeniable; the principle “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” works here. Ladybugs, by eating various insect pests, provide a great service to agricultural lands. Sometimes they are even specially bred in special places and then sprayed over fields and plantations infested with pests.

But among them there are also herbivorous species, most of them live in tropical areas, which can also harm agricultural crops.

Interesting facts about ladybugs

Since ancient times, people have revered ladybugs, which in the imagination of the ancients served as the personification of divine powers. For example, our ancestors, the ancient Slavs, considered ladybugs to be messengers of the Sun goddess.
Also, since ancient times, people used ladybugs to predict the weather, so an insect flying away from the palm promised clear and sunny weather. And vice versa, a cow that wanted to stay on the hand was a harbinger of bad weather and rain.
In many cultures, the ladybug is considered a symbol of good luck; for the same reason, many superstitions and signs are associated with them; the common belief is that in no case should you harm these insects, so as not to incur troubles and hardships.
It is still a mystery to scientists how ladybugs always invariably return to the same places after their migrations for the winter.

Where does this name come from?

The question of why the insect got its name still remains open. There are several versions:

The arthropod was called “cow” either for its ability to secrete so-called “milk”, or for spots on its body reminiscent of the colors of many breeds of cows;
The insect was awarded the epithet “ladybug” for helping people preserve crops; in addition, despite the fact that in nature it is a rather dangerous predator, among people the ladybug is valued for its harmlessness and gentle disposition.

There are other options for the origin of the name. For example, the ancient Slavs associated a bright bug with the goddess of fertility.