Why it's called Ladybug
The melodious name of the ladybird has its origin in a well-meaning popular belief: it is assigned the role of the messenger of Mary, the Mother of God. But over the centuries, people have also made other positive associations with the pretty Beetle: This is how it is considered to be
- Patron saint of children
- as a wish-fulfiller when flying off by hand
- as a weather predictor by taking off or staying seated
- as a prophet for virgins who count the years to marriage
also read
- What do the larvae of ladybirds look like?
- This is how ladybirds reproduce
- Ladybug in the insect hotel
Its taxonomy
Ladybugs are an amazingly powerful axis in the animal world:
- They form a family of their own within the order of the beetles
- This includes 360 different genera worldwide with over 6000 species
- In Europe there are 75 genera with approx. 250 species represented
The most common species with us are the seven-spotted ladybird, the Asian one Ladybug, the twenty-two-point ladybug, the four-spotted ball ladybug or the Ten-point ladybug.
By the way: It is a misconception that the number of points on the wings indicates the years of life of the beetle. Rather, the number varies depending on the species and does not change during the entire lifetime of the adult beetle.
His living space
The ladybird is widespread worldwide, but feels most comfortable in warm, tropical to subtropical climates. That is why it is represented there in a much more diverse way than here in Europe. He can be found in forests, meadows, heaths and moors, but fortunately also in our gardens. Especially, of course, in those that are cultivated as close to nature as possible and with a wealth of plants.
How he lives
Ladybugs usually have a one-year, but sometimes two-year life cycle. Depending on the weather and food conditions, an adult beetle can survive a second winter. From this you can already see that ladybirds belong to those beetles that hibernate as imagos and not as pupated larvae.
But they actually go through the usual stages of development:
- egg
- larva
- puppet
- Imago
egg
In late April to early May, the females lay up to 400 eggs, mostly on the underside of the leaves of suitable plants. Depending on the weather, it takes 5-8 days for the larvae to hatch.
larva
The ladybird lives as a larva for 30 to 60 days, during which it sheds its skin 3-4 times. Depending on the species, the larvae can look very different.
puppet
After the larval development stages have passed through, the pupation time comes. The larva withdraws into a mummy doll and clings to leaves, twigs or trunks in a curved manner. The metamorphosis to the finished beetle takes 6-9 days.
Imago
The hatched beetle is not yet fully developed. Its wings, for example, still have to harden, which is where the species-specific dot color develops.
Ladybirds as beneficial insects
One more word about its beneficial function: The ladybird is above all a hard-working aphid devourer, which is of great benefit to hobby gardeners.
