This is for all my Ladybug Friends! Finally a Web Page - So I may be included in your obsession!!

If you arrived here from my Index Page and have looked through some of my other webpages then you know that most of them have some educational information. I thought that I would try and do the same for my version of the Ladybug Theme!

For instance - On my Galaxy Far Away Page - I have included that Ladybugs were taken into Space for experiments! Go there to find out more!!!

But first - Here Come The Ladybugs!!

The name ladybug can be traced to the middle ages where the insects were named "Beetle of Our Lady" and dedicated to the Virgin Mary.It was thought to have come from heaven to save the crops. In some parts of the world today, these insects are believed to be a sign of a bountiful harvest, good weather, or even good luck.

Ladybugs are more properly known as LadyBeetle because the word "bug" applies most accurately only to insects in the order Hemiptera.

Lady beetle adults have a very characteristic convex, hemispherical to oval body shape. The head is covered by a hood called the pronotum. They may be white, yellow, pink, orange, red or black, and usually have spots. Like many of the brightly-colored insects, ladybugs are distasteful to predators. When disturbed, they may secrete odorous fluid from their joints to warn enemies of their distastefulness. Ladybugs are a very beneficial group of insects; a single lady beetle may consume as many as 5,000 aphids in its lifetime.

The Ladybug is a social insect without a hierarchical system. They are active in the summer months and hibernate in the winter. They assemble in masses to hibernate in protected areas under branches or rocks.

Ladybugs are found in fields, forests or gardens. Anywhere there is vegetation that is infested with other insects included in their diet. They can be found in gardens, and farms where aphids and other pests are plentiful. Ladybugs are also transplanted to areas where there is a problem with pest control.

They are predacious and feed solely on other insects and small arthropods, their eggs, and larvae. Aphids, scale insects, and plant mites are their typical prey.

If there are roses in your garden you need Ladybugs to keep them free of Aphids.

Reproduction is sexual and fertilization is internal. Females lay 200-500 orange colored eggs one on top of the other in clusters on aphid-covered leaves. From these eggs, larvae develop into long, oval shaped, blackish organisms that look somewhat like tiny fat alligators. The larvae feed on the aphids and molt several times before metamorphosing into the round adult lady beetle. The alligator-like larvae are also predaceous. They are spiny and black with bright spots. Although they look dangerous, lady beetle larvae are quite harmless to humans.

Ladybug Larvae

7 Spot Ladybug Larvae





Although we consider the red with black spots ladybug the most common species, here are some different varieties found in Europe and other regions of the World!

Black-Red Spotted

14 Spot Ladybug

7 Spot Ladybug

2 Spot Ladybug
Halycia Ladybug

Oblong Ladybug











There is a similar beetle that is a pest, called the Mexican Bean Beetle. It is distinguished by its yellowish-orange body with eight black spots on each wing cover. The larvae are also very distinctive, and shouldn't be mistaken for predaceous larvae, because they have large forked spines across their backside. The Mexican Bean Beetle is a Defoliator of soy and green beans.

All other Lady Beetles should be considered an asset to your garden or fields and left alone!

Ladybug - Lady Beetle - Ladybird - which ever you wish to call them! Here are a few of the whimsical kind. I have created all these Graphics and Animations. If you are interested in having your own wonderful Graphics or Animations like these for your Web Pages or Outlook Express Stationery please Email me with your request!!

Send Requests for Animations or Graphics! Or just say Hello!!!

Please visit my Whats New Page and link to the other Ladybug Webpages.My Friends would love to hear from you!!



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