23 Ladybug Facts For Kids

1. Ladybug is a common name for a large group of flying beetles that are members of the Coccinellidae family.
2. A common name for ladybugs in areas outside the United States are ladybirds.
3. Entomologists, people who study insects, prefer to call ladybugs either lady beetles or ladybird beetles.
4. Scientists have identified more than 6,000 different species of ladybugs.
5. Ladybug species have been discovered all over the world and can be found on almost every continent.
6. The oldest fossil discovered of a ladybug ancestor is 53 million years ago.
7. Ladybugs have a head, antennae, and legs with a dome-shaped body.
8. Ladybug colors vary by species, but include red with small black spots, orange and yellow.
9. The spots on a ladybug help to deter predators from eating them.
10. A ladybug can also deter a predator by releasing a yellowish fluid that stinks and also pretend to be dead.
11. The most common species of ladybugs are predators who feed on a wide variety of insects.
12. A ladybug’s most common prey is the aphid, a small sap-sucking insect.
13. Some species of ladybugs can eat up to 75 aphids a day.
14. A single ladybug, with ample prey, can eat up to 5,000 insects in its lifetime.
15. Mexican bean beetle (Epilachna varivestis) feeds on plants instead of other insects and is defined as an agricultural pest due to the damage it can do.
16. The most common ladybug in North America is the convergent lady beetle (Hippodamia convergens).
17. The most common ladybug in Europe is the seven-spot ladybug (Coccinella septempunctata).
18. A ladybug’s lifespan is between 12 and 14 months after going through all four stages of life.
19. The are four stages in the life of a ladybug: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
20. A ladybug spends about ten days in the egg stage (embryonic stage).
21. A ladybug spends about a month in the larva stage (larval stage).
22. A ladybug spends about two weeks in the pupa stage (pupal stage).
23. A ladybug spends about a year in the adult stage (imaginal stage).

Ladybug Pictures

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the below images will be helpful for your research on ladybugs. Below are six various pictures of ladybugs. These pictures should help you better understand ladybugs, one of the beauties of the insect world.

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