Insect ladybug short description. The main enemy of aphids is a ladybug, the stages of its development

What do ladybugs eat? Most of them are predators and eat other insects, many of which are considered serious plant pests. Ladybug is often called best friend gardener. They eat aphids, thus controlling the number of insect pests in the garden and replacing the use of chemical pesticides. Ladybug larvae also feed on aphids. They also eat other insects that have soft bodies - mites, whiteflies, scale insects and others.

Ladybug: life cycle

There are more than 4,000 species of these interesting representatives of the insect world in the world ( Latin name: Coccinellidea). What do ladybugs eat? Adults and larvae feed on soft-bodied pests, plant mites and egg pests. Most of all they love aphids! One individual usually eats more than 5,000 aphids in its lifetime. What is their life cycle? The female lays her eggs (5-20 pieces) on the leaves or stems of plants. After about a week, the eggs hatch into larvae that look like tiny crocodiles. Before becoming a pupa, the larva consumes 350 to 400 aphids.

The larvae go through several stages of maturation. After about a month, the larvae pupate, and a week later, young beetles appear. At this stage, they are quite different from the adults that people used to call ladybugs. Distinctive features are the speckles and bright color, which are needed in order to make them less attractive to any predators.

• Average life expectancy in wild nature averages 2-3 years.
• The length of the insect reaches, as a rule, 7-10 millimeters.
• To clean its head and antennae, the ladybug uses its front legs.
• In the process of growing up, the spots on the flaps become lighter.
• The speed of the wings is approximately 85 times per second.
• Breathing is carried out through the holes on the sides of the body.
• Ladybug can hide its head in the torso under certain conditions.
• The larvae grow very quickly and change their appearance 3 times.
• In some countries, it is considered that they bring good luck.
• When ladybugs feel threatened, they secrete a special yellowish liquid that smells bad and is toxic to other insects. This is their kind of defense mechanism. In some cases, they can even pretend to be dead.
• They are welcome guests in any garden, as they feed on garden and garden pests.
• Ladybugs will also live indoors.

What does a ladybug look like?

Some representatives have red elytra with black dots, orange, black with red dots, completely brown or black are also found in nature. The structure of the body includes the head, thorax and abdomen. There are a pair of antennae, a pair of compound eyes on the head, and six segmented legs that attach to the thorax. Under the thick hard elytra there is an additional pair of thin wings. At different types- different eating habits. What do ladybugs eat? In nature, there are predatory and herbivorous species. Vegetarians in the ladybug family feed on mushrooms and leaves. Some eat insects that eat plants (aphids, midges).

Defenders of crops and ornamental gardens

The ladybug is a member of a family that includes thousands of species of insects. When people hear the words "ladybug" they think of bright red beetles with black spots, although these beneficial insects can be different colors both with and without stains. What do ladybugs eat? They live in gardens all over the world and they are often welcome as they eat agricultural pests and other small insects.

Males and females of many species are very similar, only biologists can tell them apart. What do ladybugs eat? As a rule, after spring mating, they produce large clutches of eggs, which are located next to a colony of aphids and other small insects. When the larvae hatch, they can feed on insects until they are large enough to fly and feed on their own.

Are there poisonous ladybugs?

Ladybugs are not poisonous to humans. However, they can be toxic to some animals because they have bad smell which deters some predators. A deterrent is also a certain color. In nature, red and orange colors are a warning of potential danger and show other animals that they should look for someone else for their dinner or lunch.

In general, ladybugs do not cause appreciable damage, however, in those sensitive to foreign odors people, they can cause an allergic reaction. What do ladybugs eat at home? The good news is that they do not eat anything in winter, they are indifferent to building materials, wood and clothing, and do not lay eggs inside the house.

Where do ladybugs winter?

Ladybug can be found on plants that serve as food for aphids. It can be plants such as mustard, buckwheat, coriander, clover, dandelion and others. For wintering, warmer and secluded corners, cracks and bark of trees are chosen, they can huddle in lowlands or at high altitudes, under fallen leaves, in crevices, small cracks in houses, stones, mainly on sunny side, etc. In winter, ladybugs escape the cold air by hiding under a layer of fallen leaves in the forest. Surprisingly, some species can survive at minus 20°C.

As soon as ladybugs enter the house, they begin to secrete special pheromones that attract other relatives. Pheromones are used as a means of communication during mating and hibernation. Such peculiar "spirits" in insects are very powerful, they can be detected at a distance of up to 500 meters from the place of their application. This helps insects find each other and allows future generations to learn about good location for wintering. Ladybugs gather in groups when they hibernate.

The question may arise about what ladybugs eat at home? What is known is that they do not eat fabric, plants, paper, or any other household items. During hibernation, they live off their own accumulated reserves. They also prefer humidity, but the house is usually not very humid in winter, and they use every opportunity to get water for themselves, otherwise dehydration may occur. Thus, answering the question of what ladybugs eat in winter, one can answer that they use nothing, or rather, they use their accumulated energy reserve. With the onset of spring, the surviving cows, as a rule, leave the dwelling.

Even those who usually hesitate to pick up insects are not afraid of these cute bright bugs. For some reason, the mood of a person who has found a ladybug immediately rises, and for a long time an adult man whispers nursery rhyme looking at the bug: will it take off or not? Maybe we love ladybugs precisely for the wonderful ability to return us even for a minute to childhood? Here are a few interesting facts about these well-known insects.
The most common seven-spotted ladybug in our area, despite its cute harmless appearance, is a predator that destroys many aphids, spider mites and other small pests on plants.

In total, there are more than 4,000 species of ladybugs. They live in all parts of the world, a variety of plants serve as their home and hunting grounds, from trees to field herbs and coastal reeds. The colors of ladybugs are also diverse: they come with and without dots on the wings, scarlet, orange, yellow, black, brown and gray.

Herbivorous species of ladybugs mainly live in the tropics, but are also found in Russia, on Far East, where they cause serious damage to the crop of potatoes, cucumbers and tomatoes. Winemakers especially do not like ladybugs: once in wine, these beetles spoil its taste and smell.

The bright colors of ladybugs are a warning signal to predators that their prey is inedible. Cows secrete a pungent yellow fluid that repels birds, frogs, spiders, wasps, and dragonflies that encroach on their lives. How brighter coloration ladybug, the more poisonous it is and the less desire predators have to feast on it.

The older the cow, the duller its color. But on the spots on the wings, contrary to widespread belief, the age of the cow cannot be determined. The number of spots depends only on the type of beetle and has nothing to do with age. Ladybugs rarely live more than two years. They spend the winter under fallen leaves, tree bark and stones.

Ladybug larvae don't look nearly as attractive as adult beetles. They look like small gray caterpillars with six symmetrical legs. yellow spots on the sides and with sparse setae growing in tufts. The larva, which, like the adult beetle, is a predator, turns into a chrysalis a month after birth, and after another 12 days becomes an adult beetle.

Ladybugs are not so harmless and can bite painfully. After an abnormally long, hot summer in the UK in 1976, an increase in the aphid population led to an explosive increase in the number of ladybugs. When aphids became scarce for food huge amount beetles, there were reports of bitten people.

In Catholic countries, a ladybug is called a bird or a beetle. Mother of God. In many nations, the name of this insect emphasizes its belonging to God, which suggests that our ancestors have long noticed the benefits brought by these bugs. In many countries, including Russia, Turkey and Italy, the ladybug is a symbol of good luck.

In Russian and Polish children's songs, a ladybug is asked to bring bread, and in an English rhyme, a naive cow is assured that her house is on fire and she urgently needs to fly and save her youngest daughter.

Bright colours and the simple outlines of ladybugs have led to their widespread use as a logo. Ladybug is the logo of children's clothing companies, pharmacies, kindergartens and charitable organizations, the mascot of sports teams. A ladybug on a leaf or flower is one of the most popular desktop images.

The ladybug is one of the few insects that people like, especially children. Everyone probably remembers the children's song: “fly away to the sky ...” Once in childhood, we caught these bugs and always let them go, throwing them up and singing these words.

No wonder the epithet is such - God's. In almost all countries, the name of this insect is just as poetic. For example, Catholics call it ladybird, lady bug. Word Lady in this context implies the Virgin Mary, that is, the ladybug is considered an insect of the Mother of God.

In France it is called poulette a dieu("god's hen"), in other countries its name is also associated with a pet belonging to God. This bug cannot be confused with any other: black dots on a bright red or yellow back immediately catch the eye. Today we will learn more about these seemingly familiar, but essentially little-known insects.

Meet the ladybug

In nature, we most often meet red or yellow ladybugs, the backs of which are decorated with black spots. In fact, these cute bugs are very diverse: there are more than 4,000 species, and they are all part of the Coccinellidae family ( Coccinellidae).
We are used to thinking that ladybugs are being destroyed, but not all varieties do this. Indeed, many feed on aphids and are more common on those plants where their colonies settle. Some species live in the crowns of trees, there are those living mainly on meadow grasses, others settle on coastal plants.

Almost all representatives of this group of insects are predators. Adult bugs, and especially their larvae, are distinguished by enviable voracity and eat agricultural pests in countless quantities - aphids, scale insects, sawflies, psyllids, ticks and others, bringing undeniable benefits to humans.

However, there are vegetarian species, they mainly live in tropical countries, but there are exceptions. There are pests of agricultural plants among cows. The 28-spot ladybug lives in the Far East ( Epilachna vigintioctomaculata), damaging plantings of potatoes. In the southern regions of Russia, there is a ladybug without a point ( Cynegetis impunctata), damaging leguminous herbs. Also in the south of Russia lives the alfalfa ladybird ( Subcoccinella vigintiquatuorpunctata), which can harm plantings of sugar beet and alfalfa.
These bugs are brightly colored for a reason: with their catchy appearance, they warn other predators, in particular birds, that they should not be eaten, they are poisonous. On the legs of insects there are small pores from which orange drops of a caustic substance with an unpleasant odor stand out.

Drops of a caustic substance on the legs of an insect. Photo from the sitenashzeleniymir.ru

Life cycle of a ladybug

If you look closely at the plants on which aphid colonies are found, on the leaves you can see the clutches of yellow-orange eggs laid by the female ladybug. The life of one insect lasts about 1.5 years, and during this time one ladybird lays up to 1000 eggs. From them, grey-brown larvae appear with orange spots on an elongated body.

When viewed up close or under magnification, they look rather ugly and look like little monsters. Out of ignorance, people take them for harmful insects and can destroy.

Developing, the larvae begin to intensively feed on aphids, grow and pupate. Ladybug pupae resembling Colorado beetles, after a certain time they turn into an adult insect. The whole process of their development in the climate of Russia takes 40-60 days. With the onset of cold weather, adult insects take refuge under the bark of trees, in heaps of fallen autumn foliage for the winter.

There are some facts in the life of these bugs that have not yet been studied by scientists. For example, every year ladybugs make an "invasion" in a particular country or area. I myself once had a chance to see this. It was in September 2013, we then traveled through the Altai Mountains and were on Lake Teletskoye in the village of Artybash.
It was a warm sunny autumn, and ladybugs flew around in clouds in the air, flew into houses, stuck around all the windows. As I now understand, this was their “invasion”. They also like to gather in large groups, often somewhere near water - on sand or stones.

Varieties of ladybugs

Despite the fact that there are more than 4000 species of ladybugs, we may not meet so many. Consider the most common and interesting varieties these insects.

The most common species is the seven-spotted ladybug. (Coccinella septempunctata), bug up to 7 mm in length. It cannot be confused with others, thanks to the red elytra with 7 black dots.

Found throughout Europe, North Africa and Asia. Destroys harmful insects - aphids and. Their larvae are especially voracious, and they do not at all look like adult cute bugs. It is the larvae that are our main helpers in the garden. One such individual during the period of its development eats from 400 to 3000 aphids!
In order not to confuse beneficial insects with harmful ones, one should be very careful and observant. Seeing these bugs on plants, watch them, what they do, what they eat.
Adults also have an excellent appetite and eat at least 200 different insects per day. The seven-spot ladybug was introduced to America, where it had not lived before, to control pests of agricultural crops.

ladybug rhodolia

ladybug rhodolia (Rodolia cardinalis)- a red bug with a black pattern of elytra. Known for helping to save orange and tangerine trees in many countries - in America, in France, Algeria, Japan and Russia.

citrus orchards were attacked by the Australian grooved mealybug and were on the verge of extinction. Rhodolia was brought in and released into the trees. Females of this species lay up to 800 eggs per oviposition of the mealybug. The hatched larvae first eat all the eggs, and then they are taken for adult pests.

ladybug two point

Ladybug two-point (Adalia bipunctata) lives in the Northern Hemisphere. An adult insect up to 5 mm long has one black spot on the red elytra. Despite its slowness, it destroys aphid colonies and brings tangible benefits.

Ladybug two-spot lays eggs. Photo from eco-mir.org

Ladybug seventeen-spotted

Cow seventeen-point (Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata) - medium-sized bug (2.5-3.5 mm in length) of a spherical shape. The color of the back is often bright yellow, sometimes darker, with 17 black dots. It lives mainly in European countries, where it is found on sandbanks near rivers, in meadows and highways. It feeds mainly on aphids.

ladybug ocellated

Ocellated ladybird (Anatis ocellata) large, body length reaches 10 mm. On the red back are black dots surrounded by a yellow rim. The head and front of the back are black with small yellow spots.

Ladybug is eyed. Photo from macroclub.ru

Ladybug on the lot

How to attract this useful and pretty to your garden small insect? If you use any pesticides on your site, you will have to completely abandon their use. No chemistry! Ladybugs are very sensitive and will not want to live in such an atmosphere.

In the garden, you need to create a small corner of untouched nature, for example, a meadow where they will grow meadow grasses that should not be mowed. There is no need to rake and remove leaves that have fallen from trees - this will be a very favorable place not only for ladybugs, but also for other beneficial insects. Under fallen leaves, among the stems of plants dying in autumn, many useful inhabitants of the garden will find shelter for the winter.
But if, nevertheless, despite the observance of the above recommendations, ladybugs do not want to settle in your garden, you can buy them. Yes, now there are environmental companies that sell these insects, you can simply order them.

Releasing ladybugs in the garden better in the morning or in the late evening when it is cool and dewy outside. If there is no dew, then you should spray water on the plants on which you place your useful bugs.
Dear readers, share in the comments if there are ladybugs on your site. What are you doing to attract beneficial insects to your garden?

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Today we will talk about an arthropod beetle insect - a ladybug. This beetle is for many the personification of summer and the warm sun.

It is also loved by both adults and children. Where does this insect get such a name and how it is called in different countries?

Scientifically, the ladybug is called "coccineus", which in Latin means "scarlet". BUT folk names in different countries of the world this beetle has a lot and they are all very cute:

• the Germans have a "bug of the Virgin Mary",
• Czechs - "Sun",
• Latin Americans call it - "St. Anthony's cow."

Where the Russian nickname of the beetle "ladybug" came from is not known for certain. One of the versions is a peculiarity of the beetle, when threatened, secrete a yellow liquid similar to milk. In fact, this liquid is poisonous and is designed to scare off enemies. And the word "divine" means harmless. Another suggestion is that the beetle is so named because by destroying aphids, it saves the crop.

Description of the structure of the beetle with photographs

The size of the bugs varies from 4 to 10 millimeters. Their body is almost round, the abdomen is flat, and the top is convex. Some varieties of cows have small villi on their bodies. The structure of the body 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 species have an elongated head. The eyes are large, the antennae are very flexible.

beetle pronotum resembles a sphere, on the front edge of which there is a notch. There are often dark spots on the pronotum.

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

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

When a danger arises, for example, a bird attack, the bug releases a liquid with a pungent odor that repels ill-wishers. Also, the bug is helped by its bright color.

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

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

Spots on a bright background are usually dark, but there are also yellow and even white. Some types of bugs may have abstract spots, some will have clear polka dots, and others will not have them at all. Often such patterns can help in determining the sex of an individual.

Types of insects

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

Most interesting views ladybugs:

Habitat

The range of ladybugs covers the entire Earth , except for Antarctica and areas with permafrost.

Some species of insects live only on plants densely populated with aphids, others choose reed grass and sedge growing on the banks of rivers, others require only field grass for normal life.

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

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

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

Insect nutrition

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.

Reproduction of insects and their development

An individual becomes sexually mature in the interval from three to 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 its eggs on plants inhabited by aphids, thereby providing food for its future offspring. In one clutch there can be 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 are taken for 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 greedy kids benefit thousands of gardeners and gardeners by destroying 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 specially breed ladybugs on their plots, this is especially true in industrial scale. Beetles are sprayed over agricultural fields with the help of aircraft.

Despite this, some species of these insects that live in the tropics and subtropics can destroy crops by eating plants. AT Russian Federation there are several such species that affect vegetable crops.

Ladybug is an arthropod insect that belongs to the order Coleoptera, the ladybug family (lat. Coccinellidae).

Where did the name ladybug come from?

The scientific name of the ladybug was due to its unusually bright color - latin word"coccineus" corresponds to the concept of "scarlet". And the common nicknames that were given to the ladybug in many countries of the world speak of the respect and sympathy of people for this insect. For example, in Germany and Switzerland it is known as the "Virgin Mary's bug" (Marienkaefer), in Slovenia and the Czech Republic the ladybug is called "Sunshine" (Slunecko), and many Latin Americans know it as "Saint Anthony's cow" (Vaquita de San Antonio).

The origin of the Russian name for ladybug is not exactly known. Some researchers are inclined to the version that this is due to the ability of an insect in case of danger to secrete "milk" - a special poisonous liquid (hemolymph) that repels predators. And "God's" means meek, harmless. Others believe that these insects received the nickname "ladybugs" due to the fact that they destroy aphids and help preserve the crop.

Ladybug: description, characteristics, photo. What does an insect look like?

The size of a ladybug ranges from 4 to 10 mm. The shape of the body of insects is almost round or elongated-oval, flat below and strongly convex above. Its surface in some species of ladybugs is covered with fine hairs.

In the structure of the body of ladybugs, a head, pronotum, chest, consisting of three sections, three pairs of legs, abdomen, and wings with elytra, are distinguished. The head of the insect is small, fixedly attached to the prothorax and, depending on the species, may be slightly elongated. Ladybug Eyes Relatively big size. The antennae, consisting of 8-11 segments, are highly flexible.

The pronotum of the insect is convex, of a transverse structure, with a notch on the anterior margin. Often there are spots on its surface various shapes. In contrast to the prothorax and mesothorax, which are elongated across the body of the insect, the shape of the metathorax resembles an almost perfect square.

In total, ladybugs have 6 legs, which are of moderate length. In the structure of each paw of the insect, three explicit and one hidden segment are distinguished. With their help, the insect can move quite quickly along the grass or plant stems. The abdomen of ladybugs is made up of five to six segments, covered from below by sternites (segmental semicircles).

Ladybugs fly with two hind wings.

The front wings of the ladybug in the process of evolution were transformed into rigid elytra, which serve as protection for the main pair for the period while the ladybugs are on the ground.

As a defense against predators such as birds, ladybugs secrete cantharidin, a poisonous yellow liquid that has an unpleasant odor.

In addition, the bright colors of the ladybug also scare away potential enemies from her.

The color of the ladybug's protective covers can be bright red, deep yellow, black, dark blue or brown with spots of black, yellow, red or white color different configuration.

In some species of ladybugs, these spots can merge into abstract patterns, in others they are absent altogether. Often the pattern on the pronotum is a sign by which the sex of a ladybug can be distinguished.

Types of ladybugs, names and photos

The numerous family of ladybugs includes more than 4,000 species, divided into 7 subfamilies, which include approximately 360 genera.

The most interesting varieties of ladybugs:

• Two-spot cow (lat. Adalia bipunctata)

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 painted black and has a yellow lateral border.

• Seven-spot cow (lat. Coccinella septempunctata)

The most common ladybug in Europe. The size of a ladybug reaches 7-8 mm. The elytra are painted red, they have one small white spot (at the base) and three large black ones. The seventh spot of the ladybug is located on the pronotum (scutellum).

• Twelve-pointed ladybug (lat. Coleomegilla maculata)

The insect has a length of 6 mm and a pink or red color of the elytra with 6 points on each of them.

• Thirteen-spot cow (lat. Hippodamia tredecimpunctata)

The dimensions of the elongated body of adults range from 4.5 to 7 mm. The elytra of a ladybug is painted red-brown. 13 spots stand out on them, some of which merge with each other.

• Fourteen-spot cow (lat. Propylea quatuordecimpunctata)

She has yellow or black elytra with dots of black or yellow.

• Seventeen-spotted ladybug (lat.Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata )

The body of the insect is 2.5-3.5 mm long. Usually its color is bright yellow, sometimes it can be darker. These live in Europe.

• Asian ladybug (lat. Harmonia axyridis)

The beetle has a body length of up to 7 mm. Within the species, there are two subspecies. In one of them, the color of the elytra is yellow with black spots, both large and small. The prothorax is white with a dark pattern. The second subspecies is characterized by the black color of the elytra, on which spots are clearly visible. red-orange color. The prothorax is black with light yellow spots. This species of ladybug has 19 spots.

• Cow changeable (lat. Hippodamia variegata)

Body size up to 5.5 mm. The pronotum is black and has two yellow spots. On yellow-red elytra, 6 dark spots of various shapes and 1 large spot near the shield. The edges of the black pronotum are framed by a yellow border.

• Ocellated cow (lat. Anatis ocellata)

Enough large insect with body length up to 10 mm. The color of the head and pronotum of this species of ladybug is black with small yellow spots. The elytra are yellow or red, each with black spots surrounded by lighter rims.

• Alfalfa twenty-four-spot ladybird (lat. Subcoccinella vigintiquatuorpunctata)

Pest of agricultural crops. small bug with a body length in an adult not more than 4 mm. The entire body of the ladybug is painted red. Elytra and pronotum covered with 24 small black spots.

• Pointless ladybug (lat. Cynegetis impunctata)

Enough rare view ladybugs, the red or brown body of which is covered with small and thin villi. Adult sizes do not exceed 4.5 mm. There are no characteristic points on its elytra and pronotum.

• Ladybug of the genussospita It has several types and color variations.

• Ladybug Halyzia sedecimguttata

The insect has an orange color of elytra with 16 white dots. Lives in Europe and the British Isles.

• Ladybug Anatis labiculata

The insect is white or light gray in color with 15 black dots.

• There is also blue ladybug is Halmus chalybeus .

Its elytra are cast with a blue sheen, and the length reaches 3-4 mm. This insect lives in Australia.