There is hardly a person who has never seen ladybugs. Many of us caught these harmless insects as children. After reading this article, you will learn what the ladybug eats and how it reproduces.

Variety of species

To date, more than four thousand varieties of these insects are known to science. They live in almost all corners of our planet. Many of them have a spherical body, covered with orange, yellow or red elytra, decorated with stripes or dots. Contrary to a very popular belief, the number of the latter does not at all indicate the age of the bug. Those who want to understand how a ladybug reproduces will also be interested to know that the color of insects does not depend on the number of years lived - it is predetermined at the genetic level and remains unchanged throughout the short life of the beetle. By the way, the size of the insect is also not an indicator of age. The value does not indicate that the ladybug is older, it means that the larva was starving and did not develop properly.

Despite the huge variety existing species, in our country, only one of them is most common - this is a seven-spot ladybird, which can be recognized by its red elytra. Each of them has three black spots, and one common one is located on the shield (pronotum).

Structural features

The sizes of these insects vary from four to ten millimeters. They have an elongated oval or round body with a strongly convex back. For those who do not know how the ladybug reproduces, it will be interesting that the surface of some species of these insects is covered with fine hairs.

The body of the bugs consists of a small head, pronotum, thorax, abdomen, and wings with elytra. In addition, each individual has three pairs of legs. They use cantharidin as a defense against predators. This poisonous, foul-smelling liquid yellow color repels birds and other potential enemies from insects.

Depending on the type of insect, its elytra can be brown, dark blue, black, bright yellow or rich red. Some of them have spots different shade and configuration. Others have no patterns at all. And the seven-spotted cow is named so because it has seven spots on the back.

Where and how do they live

Ladybugs live in almost all climatic zones, with the exception of regions that are covered with eternal snows. They can be seen in Poland, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Iceland, Great Britain and many other countries. Some insects live on field herbs, others - on sedge and reeds, others inhabit plants on which aphid colonies develop.

All ladybugs lead a solitary lifestyle. They come together only during wintering or during the mating season. Representatives of some species go to winter in countries with a more favorable climate, while others remain to wait out the cold, huddled in numerous groups consisting of several million individuals. They hide from the cold under the bark and between the roots of trees. The average lifespan of these insects is only one year. With a shortage of food, this time is reduced to several months.

What do ladybugs eat?

Representatives of almost all species are considered predators. The basis of their diet is mites and aphids. They do not disdain the pupae of other insects, butterfly eggs and small caterpillars.

However, in nature there are also species that feed exclusively on plants. These insects consume flowers, leaves, pollen, and even mushroom mycelium. Those who are interested in what it eats will be useful to know that the basis of its diet is aphids. So, one individual per day can destroy up to 600 pests.

Reproduction of offspring

Discussing the topic “When and how the ladybug breeds”, it is worth noting that this process has been happening since the beginning of March, and one mating of insects sometimes lasts up to 9 hours in a row. The female can lay from five to three hundred yellow eggs, which have an elongated shape. For masonry, she chooses places with a large accumulation of aphids, since the number of offspring depends on this.

A week later, larvae with well-developed jaws hatch from the eggs. They are very voracious and eat a huge amount of aphids. The larvae themselves have a disgusting taste, so almost no one hunts them. After another ten to fifteen days, a pupa appears from the larva ladybug, which is attached to the leaves of plants with the help of the remnants of the exoskeleton. After another two weeks, during which the laying of all the characteristic parts of the body takes place, it turns into a fully formed adult.

A young insect can be recognized by its pale coloration and lack of pattern. Over time, the back of the ladybug acquires a rich shade, and the corresponding pattern appears on it. In general, duration full cycle development and transformation is from four to seven weeks.

Ladybugs are small insects well known for their bright colors and lack of fear of humans. Most people know the seven-spotted ladybug, but species diversity these insects are huge. In the world there are 5200 species of ladybugs, allocated to the family of the same name in the order Coleoptera. Thus, ladybugs are related to numerous species of beetles.

Seven-spotted ladybug (Coccinella septempunctata).

The sizes of ladybugs are small, they reach 4-9 mm in length. They are characterized by a very small head, an enlarged cephalothorax, and a rounded or slightly elongated body with hard, convex elytra. The color of most species is very bright - red with black dots, the number of which in different species can vary from 2 to 22. At the same time, among ladybugs there are species with orange and yellow elytra, with dots not only black, but also white color. For example, the fairly common two-spotted ladybug is notable for its strong color variability.

The blue ladybug (Halmus chalybeus) has elytra with a bright metallic sheen.

In some individuals, it is red with black dots, in others these dots have turned into irregular shape spots, in the third, the coloring is as if inverted - black with red spots. Less common among ladybugs are monochrome types of black color.

Ladybugs are distributed throughout the world and are found on every continent except Antarctica. These beetles inhabit open spaces with grassy vegetation - meadows, forest edges, gardens, steppes, and less often dense forests. They live alone, forming clusters only during wintering. Usually ladybugs crawl along the stems of plants in search of food, but they also willingly fly over considerable distances. Their flight is easy, fast and completely silent. Types of the temperate zone for the winter fall into a stupor, for this they form clusters in autumn and hide under stones or in foliage.

Ladybug in flight.

The vast majority of ladybugs are voracious predators and only a few species are herbivorous. Herbivorous ladybugs feed on a narrow range of plants, for example, the ladybug Epilyachna argus eats exclusively the leaves of Bryony dioecious (toe). Predatory ladybugs are extremely voracious and can eat up to a hundred in a day. small insects- aphids, spider mites, mealybugs, whiteflies, and they prey not only on adults, 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.

The seven-spotted ladybug eats aphids.

Ladybugs breed several times a year, temperate species start breeding in May. The female lays on stems or reverse side leaves small yellow eggs. Females of different species can lay from 200-400 to 1500 eggs.

Two-spotted ladybug (Adalia bipunctata) lays eggs.

Ladybugs try to lay their eggs next to the accumulations of prey (aphids), and the ladybug Rhodolia directly on the egg sacks of its prey - the mealybug. Thus, ladybug larvae are provided with food from the first minutes of life, however, it is not difficult to find food for them, since the larvae are mobile and run fast. The larvae are small, with an elongated jointed body; some species may have branched outgrowths. The color of the larvae is gray (rarely yellow) with yellow or red dots. The larvae are just as voracious as their parents and can even attack prey larger than their size. Their development lasts from 2-4 weeks to 3 months, during which time each larva can eat up to 1000 aphids.

Larvae of eighteen-spotted mirha (Myrrha octodecimguttata).

Ladybugs themselves have few enemies. Of course, they fall "on the tooth" of the birds, but they have effective remedy protection. From the articulation of the legs, they secrete a pungent yellow liquid with an unpleasant taste, so birds and lizards often spit out the caught bug than eat it.

Ladybug harmony (Harmonia axyridis) unusual yellow color.

Among these beetles, only herbivorous potato and melon cows (living on Far East and in Central Asia respectively) can be detrimental cultivated plants. Rest predatory species bring undoubted benefits to a person, destroying a huge amount harmful insects. That is why ladybugs have been respected and loved by people since ancient times. Among all peoples, these bugs were considered a symbol of goodness, prosperity, and gullibility. It is interesting that in 55 world languages ​​there are 329 names of 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") refers to the Virgin Mary. And this connection arose thanks to the seven dots on the back of the most common species - the seven-spotted ladybug. The British interpreted the red color of the ladybug as a reminder of the passion of Christ, and the seven black dots were associated with seven sorrows. Mother of God. Ladybugs were a favorite object of children's folklore, because they willingly sit on hands and clothes, and are available for observation even to the smallest naturalists.

The larva of the herbivorous epilakhna argus (Epilachna argus) eats a bryony leaf.

Now these peaceful and beautiful beetles continue to serve people. Ladybugs are used in industrial scale to control pests of agricultural crops: rhodolia - to destroy the Australian grooved mealybug in citrus plantations, and Lindora ladybug - to destroy scale insects in orchards.

03/04/2017 at 18:19 Moscow time 13,052

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

In this text you will learn everything about this insect.

Anatomical characteristics

The body of a ladybug is ovoid, convex. The average size from 4 mm to 10 mm. Has two pairs of wings. Upper, hard, cover the lower, more fragile, during the flight.

The bright color of the hard elytra 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 you to expand the field of view. 2 tendrils to help navigate in space. In case of danger, a yellow odorous liquid (hemolymph) is released.

Ladybug (Coccinellidae) - belongs to the family of beetles (coleoptera). Its species distribution is very large - about 5200 subspecies around the world. More than 100 species live in Russia.

• Two-spot ladybug (Adalia bipunctata)
• Seven-spot (Coccinella Septempunctata)
• Twelve-spotted ladybug (Coleomigilla maculata)
• Thirteen-spotted cow (Hippodamia tredecimpuctata)
• Four-pointed (Propylea quatuordecimpunctata)

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

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

Fields, meadows, grassy areas, shores of water bodies. Most live in a subtropical climate.

Europe, Asia and North Africa.

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

They lead a solitary life. They leave for wintering in autumn, in flocks of 20 to 100 individuals, making long flights. They hibernate in fallen leaves, tree bark, some species prefer to hibernate next to a person. At a temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, they fly to permanent place habitat.

Nutrition

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

The larvae also eat aphids. For the development of one larva, about 1000 thousand aphids are needed. An adult beetle eats 200 pests a day. In some cases, they eat ticks, scale insects.

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

Enemies

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

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

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

This beetle is one of the most ancient insects on earth. "Law" protects him from extermination, as this insect is extremely useful in agriculture.

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

1. They can have a strong toxic effect on animals with the help of hemolymph.
2. Ladybug is used in jewelry.
3. The larvae can eat their relatives.
4. Some cultures strictly forbid the killing of ladybugs, as this can bring trouble.
5. Throughout life, it can eat about 5000 aphids.
6. During flight, 85 wing beats per second are made.

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

For people, this tiny creature is completely harmless, and in relation to them it shows only gullibility and peacefulness. Therefore, you can easily put him on your arm and tell him about your hopes and desires.

And our ancestors believed that, having listened to them, it flies straight to Heaven, where it tells the patrons of the human race about everything, conveying all human requests and messages.

It seems that the spotted color of this insect from ancient times reminded the inhabitants of Russia of wonderful domestic animals, whose milk has always been nutritious and tasty. And it is for this reason that such a creature was named - ladybug. By the way, it is also capable of producing milk, although it is far from being so useful and snow-white. But more on that later.

The family of these tiny representatives of the animal world has the same name with them and is ranked by biologists as a group of Coleoptera. The sizes of its members vary from 4 mm, reaching centimeter size.

The shape of the body of such creatures when viewed from above is oval, but only slightly elongated, described by smooth lines, almost round. From the sides it is a hill, flat from below, on six thin, segmented legs. The body of some species is covered with barely noticeable hairs.

Ladybugs have very short heads. It is attached motionlessly with another area - the prothorax. The main part of the body is divided into three components: elytra with wings folded under them; the other two are the abdomen, formed of six segments, and the tarsi.

The eyes of these creatures are quite large. And the antennae, like many other parts of the body of these insects, built from a number of segments, are highly flexible.

Ladybug beetle or insect? With full right it can be considered, both to those and to others. And this is natural, because beetles (coleoptera) are the most numerous order in terms of the number of species, classified as insects.

With the exception of the coldest terrestrial zones, these representatives of the animal world live everywhere, that is, members of this family can be found in almost any corner of our grandiose planet.

Kinds

In the family of ladybugs, there are about 360 genera alone. But, as you might guess, there are much more species in their composition, namely more than 4000. All their members in nature are distinguished by bright colors. And this is not at all accidental, because such an outfit was granted to the insect by nature in order to scare away possible ill-wishers.

There are many different colors of ladybugs.

True, depending on the type, it can be very different. Exotic rare varieties of these creatures are full of brown and dark blue shades with the addition of white, red, yellow, black patterns. But the most familiar to us are still rich yellow, and more often even bright red insects with dark spots, black front and paws.

hallmark Attire of most types of ladybugs are dots (spots). There can be from two to seventeen, in some cases even more, pieces. The ladybug family itself is divided into 7 subfamilies. And the most interesting of the varieties with some additions will be mentioned below.

• Seven-spotted ladybug- the most common variety European territory. The size of its representatives is usually no more than 8 mm. Her bright red outfit, as the name implies, is marked with seven black spots.

Its elytra is decorated with three large black marks and one more stands out on the front of the back. In addition, at the base of these creatures there are two small, symmetrically located, white spots.

Seven-spotted ladybug

• Two point ladybug. The length of this tiny creature is only half a centimeter. Such insects live not only on the European continent, but also in the North.

In Latvia, these members of the animal kingdom have been officially declared national insects for almost three decades. Their coloring is made up of dark red and black colors.

• Asian ladybug. This species is usually divided into two subspecies, which are easily distinguished from each other purely externally by color. One of them is black with orange-red markings on the elytra and light yellow in front.

There are 19 spots in total. The other has a yellow main background, decorated with small and large black dots.

• Ladybug changeable. The coloring of this small member of the family consists of yellow-red and black areas. The six black spots that adorn the elytra are variable.

Some of them may merge or even be completely absent. Such cows live in Europe, and for some time now they have been brought to America.

• ladybug pitted is a clear confirmation that not all species of insects described have spots. True, such a species is very rare. Her outfit can be brown or red. Thin and small villi cover the body of such cows.

• blue ladybug. This variety really has such an unusual shade of elytra. These small insects are found, the body length of which usually does not exceed 4 mm, on the Australian continent.

The blue ladybug is very rare.

Pictured is an eyed ladybug

Lifestyle and habitat

Of course, that such creatures can fly, this is even mentioned in children's counting rhymes. And they have as many as two pairs of wings. True, only the posterior ones are adapted for air movement, while the anterior ones, in the course of evolution, turned into rigid protective elytra.

Nature has reliably protected from the encroachments of ill-wishers this insect. Ladybug so bright that it can scare off predators. But not only too conspicuous coloring plays a role here.

A good defense against potential attackers is a special natural liquid secreted by such insects in anticipation of danger. It is customary to call it cow's milk.

In case of danger, the ladybug releases a specific fluid.

It has bad smell, poisonous, has a yellow tint, and it contains cantharidin. Such milk scares away all insidious predators, even formidable ones. And almost no one in nature dares to touch a harmless ladybug.

The habitat of ladybugs depends on their variety. Some of them are perfectly adapted to live in meadows near rivers and streams; others can only exist on trees. Varieties are known that settle only on certain types of flora, for example, aquatic plants, reed, sedge, field grasses; some seek out places where aphids gather because they feed on them.

However, ladybugs of any kind are not social and prefer, for the most part, an existence isolated from their congeners. But at certain times they break this rule. For example, during the breeding season or when they come together for winter flights to areas of the planet where there is no cold.

Generally different types ladybugs spend the cold season in their own way. Those who have adapted to life in temperate areas and are sedentary usually choose comfortable shelters from winds and frosts: terraces, garages, sheds, houses.

Sometimes, in search of shelter, they unite in groups, even large communities, the number of individuals in which is estimated in tens of millions. In winter, they may hide in heaps of leaves, bark, and rocky ruins.

Nutrition

What do ladybugs eat? They destroy hordes (an adult is able to eat about a hundred of them a day), eat other insects, their eggs, as well as caterpillars, pupae and even butterflies.

And therefore, in order to save agricultural land, ladybugs are deliberately bred and dropped from aircraft in large numbers. If they do not have enough food, they are happy to spread to the eggs of a well-known pest of potato plantings - colorado potato beetle.

But there are species of these insects whose diet includes only plant foods: flowers, leaves, pollen, in some cases, plant fruits, mushrooms. Here they really sometimes become a big problem, causing damage to the fields and crops growing on them.

However, such varieties populate southern Asia more. In they exist (for example, alfalfa and pitted beetles), but are not common.

Some attribute this insect to pests, only because they are confused with others. For example, there is insect, ladybug-like. This is epilyahna. She devours potato tops, harms tomatoes, pumpkin, corn, cucumbers.

There are pests similar to a ladybug, epilyahny

It is also called a potato cow. It differs from the described insects in the dullness of the colors of the outfit, the abundance of spots (there are as many as 28 of them), and upon closer examination, you can see thin whitish hairs on the body.

Reproduction and lifespan

As soon as these insects have time to move away from the ups and downs of winter, flight or hibernation, instinct begins to push them to reproduce their own kind. And they transgress this process sometime in the middle of spring.

Formed specimens (usually individuals not younger than 3 months or six months) are preparing for mating. Males, obeying the natural program, find partners for themselves by their unique smell. It comes from the specific secretions of females.

Next, the females attach their eggs, narrowed to the ends and oval in shape, to the leaves of plants with back side. Cows deliberately choose those places where a sufficient supply of food is planned for the future offspring, most often in the epicenter of colonies of insects suitable for food, for example, aphids.

Cow eggs are white, orange or yellow in color, and their number can reach up to four hundred pieces in one clutch.

A ladybug's clutch can contain several hundred eggs.

Sadly, having done her job, the female dies. But life goes on, because soon (no later than two weeks later) flat-shaped or oval larvae hatch from the eggs.

Their color is variegated and is a kind of composition of black, white, but more orange and yellow areas. And in some species of cows, the larvae are covered with fine hairs or bristles.

At first, for life, it is quite enough for them nutrients, which contains the shell of its own egg. But after a few days, the future cow begins to exterminate pests. In a day, one larva is able to absorb up to fifty specimens of aphids.

The ladybug larva also feeds on aphids

And a bunch of them quickly deal with entire colonies. After saturation and growth, one or two months pass, and then another stage begins - pupation.

It is during this period that all parts of the body of an adult cow are formed. She comes out of the chrysalis in about a week or 10 days. The life span of a ladybug is very short. It can be only 10 months, but if the individual does not lack food, in some cases it is extended to two years.

The life of a ladybug is fascinating. The favorite of the kids has something to "boast", revealing some of the secrets of his life.

For the curious, we present Interesting Facts about ladybug

1.These gentle creatures different countries have different names however, "God's grace" is preserved in each of them. In France, for example, they are called the "chicken of God", in Germany - the "bug of the Virgin Mary", in Israel - the "bug of Moses", and the Catholic countries gave it their name "one for all" - "the bird of the Mother of God".

2. Do you know why this creature was given such a name?

Most likely, this happened because these beetles are extremely useful for humans, being a natural source of pesticides and in huge quantities destroying insect pests. They are absolutely harmless, beautiful, they are loved by both adults and children around the world. There is also a version that these insects are permanent residents of the sky and descend to earth to bring God's grace to people. These bugs were credited with the role of intermediaries between the world of the living and the dead, but ladybugs are always perceived as a symbol of happiness, luck, love, prosperity, God's intercession.

3. It turns out that when danger appears on the horizon, a liquid appears on their paws, resembling milk in appearance and having a special smell that scares off enemies. She not only exudes strong smell but is also poisonous. Having enjoyed this creation of God, any feathered one can burn its throat and all mucous membranes.

4. In ancient times, it was this poison, oddly enough, that was used for good purposes - it was applied to an aching tooth.

5. Darling appearance ladybug is a real hunter in her microcosm. Most of the 5,200 species of ladybugs feed on mites and aphids, and only a few of them eat exclusively plants.

That is why any gardener, taking care of his garden, tries to have a couple of ladybugs take root there. And not just any, but seven-point ones. In general, the number of points on the back of ladybugs varies not only depending on belonging to a particular species, but also on age. The older the bug, the paler its color and fewer spots.

6. 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.

7. Scientists still cannot understand why these insects are so fickle.

Either they stay in their homeland to winter in the cold, then they leave it without looking back, moving towards warmth and sun.

8. Ladybugs in intimate affairs just tireless lovers. They can hold in each other's arms up to 10 consecutive hours! Well, as the most insatiable insects, they have all sorts of ailments that are sexually transmitted from males to females. Coccipolipus is a tick that overtakes the latter, after which they cannot produce offspring.

9. And here in Asian countries there is even a certain belief with ladybugs. So, if this creature sat on you, well, or just flew out the window, and you are still without a second half, you must definitely let it go free. And she will fly exactly to your future betrothed / oh, she will say your name and after quite a bit of time you will definitely meet.

10. These insects live for several years. During this time, one such "cow" acquires a huge offspring, up to 1000 in just one season. The color of the "kids" is very bright and saturated. As soon as the ladybug larvae are born, they immediately begin to actively search for food, since the babies are quite mobile and ... very voracious. So, during their development to the size of an adult, they eat up to 1000 aphids.

Ladybugs are another example of how unique each of the creations of nature, the great design of which never ceases to amaze us.