What type of insect is a ladybug

When the ladybug takes flight, the elytra open, and the thin, veined wings unfold. The abdomen contains organs for digestion, respiration, and reproduction. Adult ladybugs breathe air, but the air enters the body through openings, called spiracles, found on the sides of the abdomen and thorax.

Ladybugs gather together in large groups to diapause the insect term for hibernation. This helps them conserve resources and brings males and females together for reproductive purposes. Some ladybugs gather in logs, buildings, ground cover, beneath snow drifts, and even in houses! Millions gather in the southwestern United States, where they cover the ground like a blanket of red and black.

Ladybugs can survive for up to nine months by living off their stored reserves. They break out of diapause when the temperature reaches 55 degrees Fahrenheit 13 degrees Celsius. This is usually when food becomes available again.

Many ladybugs have bright colors to advertise to predators that they are not worth the effort! If disturbed, they can release a foul-smelling chemical from their "knees" to keep enemies away.

Predators learn that color combinations of bright oranges, reds, and blacks can mean an unappetizing taste, and they avoid eating the ladybugs. This works so well that even ladybugs that are not distasteful mimic the colors of the poisonous ones. Worldwide, ladybugs are seen as omens of good luck. In England, finding a ladybug means there will be a good harvest. In Sweden, if a ladybug lands on a young girl's hand, she will soon be getting married. How interesting that such a tiny insect can make such a vast difference in the world!

Ladybugs are found almost worldwide , but especially in temperate climates. They can often be seen in forests, gardens, weed patches, and vacant lots full of weeds. There is nothing ladylike about a ladybug's appetite: an adult may eat up to 75 aphids per day! They also eat other harmful insects like fruit flies, thrips, and mites.

They may also play dead. Birds are ladybugs' main predators, but they also fall victim to frogs , wasps, spiders, and dragonflies. Ladybugs lay their eggs in clusters or rows on the underside of a leaf, usually where aphids have gathered.

Larvae, which vary in shape and color based on species, emerge in a few days. Seven-spotted ladybug larvae are long, black, and spiky-looking with orange or yellow spots. Some say they look like tiny alligators. Larvae grow quickly and shed their skin several times. When they reach full size, they attach to a leaf by their tail, and a pupa is formed. Within a week or two, the pupa becomes an adult ladybug. Ladybugs are happy in many different habitats, including grasslands , forests , cities, suburbs, and along rivers.

Seven-spotted ladybugs are native to Europe but were brought to North America in the mids to control aphid populations. Ladybugs are most active from spring until fall. When the weather turns cold, they look for a warm, secluded place to hibernate, such as in rotting logs, under rocks, or even inside houses. These hibernating colonies can contain thousands of ladybugs.

The name "ladybug" was coined by European farmers who prayed to the Virgin Mary when pests began eating their crops. Numerous releases occurred in the United States; high populations have been reported in Washington, Oregon, Georgia and Virginia. The insects apparently did not establish in eastern Washington, but chose to relocate in western Washington. Others may have arrived here as unintentional passengers aboard cargo ships.

WSU Extension. Definitions: Elytra - either of the front wings in beetles and some other insects which cover and protect the functional hind wings. Larva - the immature free-living form of most invertebrates and amphibians and fish which at hatching from the egg is fundamentally unlike its parent and must metamorphose.

Lady Beetles - Cornell University. Lady Beetles - Washington State University. Ladybugs - University of Kentucky. Ladybug Coccinellidae Also known as ladybirds in the UK or lady beetles preferred by scientists Some are introduced species Description: Lady beetles, ladybugs, or ladybird beetles are among the most visible and best known beneficial predatory insects. WSU Extension Did you know?