There are many species of ladybugs. What are they and where do they live?
Fact number one.
Ladybugs are not a separate species but a whole family of beetles. Most often, representatives of this family have red, black, or yellow color, but there are also types of white, blue, orange, and other shades. In total, there are about four thousand three hundred species of ladybirds.
Fact number two.
In order to protect themselves from predators, they use two methods. The first is the release of a special liquid (like skunks), which should scare off potential enemies. The liquid has an unpleasant smell. The second way is through a bright color. Like many other insects, they use bright colors to inform predators about their toxicity.
Fact number three.
The life cycle of a ladybug begins with an egg. The female lays eggs on the branches of plants near food sources. An insect can lay up to a thousand eggs at a time. After ten days, larvae emerge from the eggs. They spend about twenty days in this state. Then the larvae pupate, and after another ten days, the adults appear. The average life expectancy of an insect is one to two years.
Fact number four.
Ladybugs are distributed almost all over the world. They can be found everywhere except Antarctica and the extreme northern regions of North America, Europe and Asia.
Fact number five.
Ladybugs have two eyes, but they see quite poorly. These insects rely more on their antennae, which help them to smell, taste, and navigate in space.
Fact number six.
Ladybugs have two pairs of wings. However, during flights, they use only one. The upper pair of wings has turned into a so-called «shield» that protects vulnerable parts of the body from damage. When making flight, the ladybug opens the upper wings and releases the inner ones. On average, an insect flaps its wings at a speed of eighty-five strokes per second, or five thousand one hundred strokes per minute. They are very hardy insects. Scientists have found that they can travel distances of up to one hundred and twenty kilometers without interruption.
Fact number seven.
Ladybugs are cold-blooded. Because of this, insect activity occurs during the daytime, when the sun is warmest. With the onset of winter, they fall into hibernation, usually hiding in some shelters in huge colonies.
Fact number eight.
The ladybug got its name in ancient times. The thing is that at that time, there was no chemistry for processing crops. Therefore, when the fields of crops were infected with aphids, people had no choice but to pray. And the only salvation from aphids was these insects. People believe that God sent them to them to protect the harvest in response to their prayers, so farmers treat these insects with reverence.
Fact number nine.
Ladybugs taste any new surface. For humans, these bites are harmless. A ladybug can bite, but you won’t even feel it. They do it very carefully. It will not be so much a bite as a pinch with the jaws. She’s trying to figure out if you’re a tasty insect. As soon as the ladybug realizes that there is no insect, it will lose all interest in you.
Fact number ten.
Adult ladybugs overwinter in large colonies. As a rule, all individuals gather in some shelter, where they spend the winter. When the days get shorter and the air temperature drops, they take shelter under bark, leaves, or in other protected places. Thousands of ladybirds can gather in one place to take advantage of the collective warmth.
On the thirteenth of June, the world celebrates a holiday dedicated to a member of the beetle family, Ladybugs Day.
