The development cycle of the ladybug
Ladybirds form their own, very generic and species-rich family within the beetle order. There are around 250 genera and 6000 species worldwide, but we only have a few hundred of them. How ladybugs live and maintain their species is not that much different from the cycles of other beetles. With the exception of one special feature: if you want and the conditions are favorable, you can survive not just one but two winters!
also read
- How do ladybugs hibernate?
- What do ladybugs eat?
- Lucky charm and beneficial organism: the ladybug
In itself, a ladybug goes through the usual stages of development:
1. egg
2. larva
3. puppet
4. Imago (adult beetle)
Prepare the eggs
The ladybug year starts early, namely in late winter. Immediately after waking up from the Numbness they look for the beetle partners to mate. A mated female then starts laying eggs at the end of April. It can lay up to 400 eggs in total, but this varies depending on the species. The ladybug divides this large number of eggs into small groups, which are lined up tightly and fairly neatly in suitable places. A clutch usually has 10 to 60 eggs. However, some species also lay the eggs individually.
Where to find the eggs
The female searches for suitable food sources for the resting places, which the hatching larvae should immediately have at their disposal for self-service. Especially on the underside of leaves and in cracks of Tree bark the egg groups are often to be discovered.
By the way, suitable food for the larvae is first and foremost aphids - and this is what defines their status as garden protégés. The larvae of scale insects also grow large and strong. Ladybugs will also prefer to send their larvae to life where many of these sap suckers can be found. Twenty-two-spotted ladybugs also conveniently feed on powdery mildew mushrooms.
What the ladybug eggs look like
Ladybug eggs have relatively different appearances depending on the species. Most are oblong in shape and light yellow in color. But some are also rounder and go a little more orange or whitish. The size varies between half a millimeter and two millimeters.
The development of the larva in the egg
It takes 5 to 8 days for a ladybug larva to grow in an egg, depending on the temperature and humidity. Towards the end of the development period, the larva can already be recognized through the thin membrane. The egg then turns gray. It takes a ladybug larva about 2 hours to work its way out of the egg. To open, many types have pushing tools in the head, back and chest area, which are thrown off during the first molt after single use.
