Ladybird-+Shilo

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= Introduction: = Lady bugs are a kind of beetle and beetles are insets. Lady bugs are known by lots of difference names like, Lady Beetles, Lady Birds & Lady Bird Beetles. There are around 4500 different kinds of lady bug in the whole world .They all have different colours, size and patterns depending on the kind of lady bug. They range from 1mm to 10mm in size. Most lady bugs help us by eating aphids or scale in our gardens but some will eat the plants in the garden. The “LADY” in lady bug refers to the Virgin Mary.

= Anatomy: =

Lady bugs have 3 parts to their bodies they are the head, the thorax and the abdomen. When they are not flying they have a hard part at the front of their wings which cover s their backand abdomen. They have 6 legs which arejoined to the thorax. The legs are short and usually hide under their bodies. They have antennae with a little knob on the end which is called clubbed antennae. A lady bugs bright colour.

= Habitat: =

Lady bugs live in trees, shrubs, paddocks, and beaches and in homes .In the winter adult lady bugs group together to hibernate in old fallen trees old fences etc. Female lady bugs only lay eggs where she knows aphids are, in groups stuck under leaves.

= Feeding and predators: =

Lady bugs and there larvae like to eat aphids, scale and mites. When there is known other food around they will eat each other. Eaten by frogs, wasps, spiders and dragonflies. Lady bug larvae are eaten by lacewing larvae.



= Reproduction: =

Lady bugs mate. When they find each other the male grips the female from behind to mate. The female can store what the male uses to fertilize the eggs with for 2 or 3 months before she lays her eggs. She will only lay eggs where there is food for the larvae.

= Food chain: = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = LifeCycle : The lady bug life cycle is about 4 to 6 weeks long. =

Eggs – the female lady bug lays her eggs on the underside of leaves near aphids in groups of 10-50 and they hatch in 5 days. They are yellow in colour.

Larvae – larvae change skin 4 times while in the larvae stage. After 3 weeks of eating aphids the turn into the pupa stage.

Pupa – the pupa is usually brightly coloured with patterns. Pupa attach themselves to rocks, dead wood, leaves & plants for about a week before turning into a fully grown lady bug.

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 * The “lady” in lady bug refers to the Virgin Mary.


 * A lady bug’s bright colours warn predators to stay away.


 * Over a lady bugs lifetime it may consumed 5,000 aphids.


 * You can’t tell a lady bug’s age by counting its spots.


 * A female lady bug lays more than 100 eggs in her lifetime.


 * While flying, a lady bug beats its wings 85 times a second.


 * While eating, a lady bug chews from side to side and not up and down like us.


 * A lady bug bites if you squeeze it, but the bite doesn’t hurt.


 * The spots on the body of the lady bug fade, as it gets older.


 * In winter, lady bugs do not eat and survive on their stored fat.


 * The male lady bugs are smaller than the females.


 * Lady bugs use their feet to help them smell.


 * A lady bug larvae resembles tiny alligators, with elongated bodies and bumpy sink.

= by shilo =