Ladybugs appear with the first warmth and have long been associated with the joy we experience in enjoying the beauty of summer nature. The ladybug is the only beetle that does not disgust women, but on the contrary, touches them.
We invite you to find out interesting facts about these wonderful creations of nature.
In Bulgaria they call her "God's beauty"; in Germany and Switzerland - "God's candle", Mary's beetle, God's bird/horse, golden cockerel, solar bird, solar cockerel, solar calf, in France - God's hen, God's animal, St. Michael's chicken; in Lithuania - “God’s Maryushka”; in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Ukraine - the sun; in Argentina - St. Anthony's cow, and in Tajikistan - the red-bearded grandfather.
There are more than 5,000 species of ladybugs around the world.
During flight, a ladybug makes 85 wing beats per second.
Ladybugs' spots are designed to ward off predators.
Ladybugs are perennial insects and during winter they live only on the reserves accumulated over the summer.
Interesting fact: ladybugs exist different colors: pink, yellow, white, orange and even black.
The older the ladybug, the fewer spots it has on its back.
Depending on the species, a ladybug can lay up to 2,000 eggs in its lifetime.
Ladybugs are a great natural pesticide; they are even bred for this purpose.
They eat aphids, which are an enemy of plants.
When a ladybug is attacked, it may inject a scented liquid from knee joints your legs.
The smell alerts birds and predators that the ladybug is poisonous.
The name of this insect is associated with the belief that the ladybug belongs to the heavenly flock of Perun. She mediates between heaven and earth, between a powerful god and people. Therefore she was attributed magical power, the ability to influence the weather. People tried not to kill ladybugs so as not to incur God's wrath.
A talisman with the image of ladybugs has always brought good luck.
Based on materials from i-fakt.ru, lilitochka.ru
These bugs, familiar to everyone from childhood, as well as their larvae, are natural enemies aphids. Every self-respecting gardener should know about the developmental stages and living conditions of ladybugs. The material in this article will help fill the gaps in knowledge.
Of the 5,000 members of the family Coccinellidae, to which ladybugs or coccinellids belong, only 100 species live in Europe. Climatic conditions and the availability of food have a significant impact on the development of these bugs, their growth rate, and increase in number. Ladybugs need warmth, so most of these insects prefer tropical or subtropical climates. In colder climates, cows lead an active lifestyle on warm days; during cool periods, they are less mobile - they fly more slowly and less.
Contrary to popular belief, the number of dots on the elytra of ladybugs does not determine the age of these insects. But by their color and shape one can only understand whether an individual belongs to a particular species.
Most common types of ladybugs :
Ocellated ladybird (Anatis osellata) 8–10 mm long, yellow-red elytra with twenty black dots framed by light edges, found in pine forests and forests, on garden trees, feeds on lice eaters.
Seven-spotted ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) - everyone known species, length 5–9 mm, common in Central Europe, feeds on aphids, not found on trees.
The ten-spot ladybird (Adalia decimpunctata) has a length of 3.5–5 mm, the elytra are dark brown or dark red, each with five black spots, the most active view, which exterminates aphids, hunts for aphids in trees, shrubs, and meadows.
The fourteen-spot ladybird (Propylea quatuordecimpunctata), its length is 3.5–4.5 mm, has over 100 various forms, elytra red or yellow with fourteen dark spots, feeds on different types of aphids.
The spotted ladybug (Stethorus), 1.3–1.5 mm long, has black elytra covered with hairs, yellow legs and antennae, preys on spider mites, and lives on fruit and deciduous trees.
Chilocorus bipustulatus and kidney-shaped Chilocorus renipustulatus, have a length of 3.3–4.5 mm and 4.5–5.7 mm, respectively, both species with smooth black elytra, the adults and larvae of these insects feed on aphids and coccids.
The ladybug Clitostethus arcuatus, 1–2 mm long, has brown elytra with two dark spots framed by light edges, the elytra are covered with hairs, and hunts whiteflies.
Tree synharmonia (Synharmonia oblongoguttata), 5 mm long, has red and pink elytra with eight rectangular black spots, destroys aphids on fruit and deciduous trees.
The streak-spotted ladybug (Neomysia oblongoguttata) has a length of 7–9 mm, black elytra with numerous yellow spots, and preys on aphids that attack coniferous trees.
The ladybug is twenty-two-spotted, up to 4 mm long, the elytra are lemon-yellow with eleven black dots on each, does not eat aphids, feeds on mealy fungi on bushes, trees, meadow plants, vineyards.
Most ladybugs feed on different types of aphids, but there are individuals that prefer only certain types of these pests. In search of food, cows can travel considerable distances. Adult beetles eat up to 150 aphids per day. Some feed on scale insects mealybugs, spider mites, whiteflies. A small number of ladybugs eat fungal spores. In addition to animal food, the menu of these insects includes plants, their pollen and nectar.
Ladybugs reproduce only if there is enough food. Females lay eggs on the underside of leaves; one clutch can contain from 10 to 30 yellow eggs. One female can lay 400 eggs. Clutches of laid eggs are usually located near. Ladybugs that hunt coccids lay their eggs in the body of the pest, under its shell.
A week later, the larvae hatch from the eggs, they have dark color and elongated shape. The larvae must feed well, so the larva of the seven-spotted ladybird is able to destroy 800 aphids. Up to five stages of growth and larval formation occur before pupation, which begins after 3–6 weeks.
The pupae are round in shape, orange or black in color, and are attached to leaves or tree trunks. The pupal phase lasts from four to nine weeks; at the end of this period, yellow-orange beetles hatch with barely visible spots on the elytra.
Period full cycle The development of ladybugs lasts from one to three months. In one year, these insects can produce one or two generations.
Maintain on site favorable conditions Life for ladybugs is not at all difficult. In the fight against pests of gardens and vegetable gardens, it is better to refrain from using chemicals struggle. Aphids should not be completely destroyed spring period, since this will deprive the adult generation of cows of food.
Availability on personal plot A sufficient number of trees, bushes, and hedges will provide ladybugs with wintering places. Heaps of brushwood, fallen leaves, woodpiles, birdhouses, walls of sheds and other buildings left in the garden can become a haven for an entire colony of ladybugs during the winter.
Based on materials from the site: http://ayatskov1.ru/
People love ladybugs. How can you not love them? They are cute, like little buttons with a tiny red shell and black spots. It is considered a good omen if a ladybug lands on your hand or you see one in your home. Plus, they are absolutely harmless to humans. Farmers love ladybugs because they feed on insect pests such as aphids.
But North America's native ladybug species are slowly disappearing, and scientists don't know why.
One theory is that non-native species such as the seven-spotted ladybug from Europe and asian look harmonia axyridis, have successfully become widespread throughout North America, leading to the displacement of native ladybugs. Another theory says that invasive species are also in decline, so extinction may simply be part of a natural cycle.
10 little-known facts about the ladybug:
Fact 1. Not all ladybugs are red with black spots. Despite the fact that this color of the insect is the most common, this does not mean the absence of other color variations. There are about 5,000 species of ladybugs in the world. They come in yellow, orange, brown, pink or even completely black. Some types ladybug have no spots at all, or they merge with each other (see photo above).
Fact 2. According to legend, in the Middle Ages, grain crops in Europe suffered from pests, so farmers began to pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary (Virgin Mary). Soon they noticed ladybugs, with the appearance of which the crops were miraculously saved from pests. Farmers associated their happiness with red and black beetles, which later became the reason divine name insect.
Fact 3. Like many other insects, ladybugs use aposematic (repellent) coloring to signal to potential predators that it is toxic. Insectivorous birds and other animals have learned to avoid insects with bright red and black colors, and it is likely that the ladybug is on their list of dangerous foods.
Fact 4. In case of danger, the joints of the ladybug's legs secrete a foul-smelling yellowish liquid that repels their main enemies. Ladybug larvae can secrete a protective fluid from their abdomen.
Fact 5. Over the course of its life, a ladybug can eat more than 5,000 aphids. Almost all ladybugs feed on soft-bodied insects and serve as beneficial predators, protecting agricultural plants from pests. Gardeners welcome ladybugs with open arms as they eliminate some of the most prolific pests. Ladybugs feed on scale insects, whiteflies, mites and aphids. A hungry adult ladybug can eat up to 50 aphids per day.
Fact 6. The ladybug larva with an elongated body and lumpy skin resembles a tiny alligator. If you don't know what ladybug larvae look like, you most likely never suspected that strange creatures in the photo above are young ladybugs. The larvae feed and grow for a month, consuming hundreds of aphids and other insects per day at this stage of development.
Fact 7. Scientists believe that ladybugs lay both fertilized and unfertilized eggs. Why do they expend the energy required to produce eggs that do not produce offspring? Infertile eggs - valuable source food for larvae hatched from fertilized eggs. During hungry periods, the ladybug increases the number of infertile eggs, giving the larvae a better chance of survival.
Fact 8. Adult ladybugs overwinter, as a rule, gathering in a shelter in large groups. When the days get shorter and the air temperature drops, they take refuge under bark, leaves, or other sheltered places. Thousands of ladybugs can gather in one place to take advantage of the collective warmth. The Asian ladybug, an invasive species in North America, has developed a reputation as a home invader. These beetles have a habit of hiding indoors for the winter, where they can become a serious nuisance to people. Convergent ladybugs gather in the mountains in such clusters that they can be collected by the bucketful.
Fact 9. Ladybugs practice cannibalism. If there is not enough food, these insects will do everything possible to survive, even if they have to eat their relatives. A hungry ladybug will eat any larva of its species that gets in its way.
Fact 10. It is not possible to judge the age of a ladybug based on the number of spots. These black spots on the back of the insect have nothing to do with its age; counting them is just a fun time, but nothing more. However, in some cases, you can identify the types of ladybugs by taking into account the number and position of the markings. For example, the seven-spotted ladybug has seven black spots on a red back.
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Let's get acquainted with a real superpredator today, we'll talk about the ladybug (lat. Coccinellidae).
The size of the ladybug ranges from 4 to 10 mm. The body shape of insects is almost round or elongated oval, flat below and highly convex above. Its surface in some species of ladybugs is covered with fine hairs. The body structure of ladybugs includes a head, a pronotum, a thorax consisting of three sections, three pairs of legs, an abdomen, and wings with elytra. The insect's head is small, motionlessly connected to the prothorax and, depending on the species, may be slightly elongated. Ladybug's eyes are relative large size. The antennae, consisting of 8-11 segments, are highly flexible.
Ladybugs fly using their two hind wings. In the process of evolution, the front wings of the ladybug were transformed into hard elytra, which serve as protection for the main pair for the period while the ladybugs are on the ground.
The distribution range of ladybugs includes all continents globe and all climatic zones, with the exception of Antarctica and areas covered with eternal snow.
Some types of ladybugs prefer to inhabit only those plants on which a colony of aphids has developed, others prefer sedge and reeds growing along ponds and rivers as a home, while others need field grasses to survive.
Regardless of their species, ladybugs lead a separate lifestyle, gathering together only during the mating season, migration or wintering.
All species from the ladybird family are heat-loving insects, so most individuals living in temperate latitudes oh, on the eve of the onset of cold weather they gather in huge flocks and fly away for the winter to countries with a warm climate. However, there are also sedentary insects. They wait out the winter cold, huddled together in huge communities, the number of which can reach 40 million individuals. In this case, the total weight of a flock of ladybugs can be several tons. As a shelter from unfavorable conditions insects use debris from stones, fallen bark and tree foliage. But ladybugs don't live long. With sufficient food supplies, the lifespan of ladybugs can reach 1 year and very rarely - up to two years; if there is a shortage of food, this period is reduced to several months. Juveniles are always brightly colored, which gradually fades with age.
Among the variety of species of ladybugs, almost all are predators and large quantities eat aphids and mites.
The menu of adult cows is based on sedentary cows. mass insects, which are easy to catch: aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies and spider mites of various types.
This preference is not accidental, because cows are very voracious and can eat up to 100-150 mites or aphids daily. Ladybug larvae feed exclusively on aphids, eating up to 60 (if adults) or 300 aphid larvae daily. Over the entire period of development of a ladybug, the number of aphids eaten by it is in the thousands.
Ladybirds reach sexual maturity between 3 and 6 months of life. The breeding season for ladybugs begins in mid-spring. Gaining strength after leaving hibernation or flight, they begin to mate. The male finds the female by the specific smell that she emits during this period.
A female ladybug lays eggs on plants near an aphid colony to provide her offspring with a supply of food. Ladybug eggs, attached to the underside of the leaves, are oval in shape with slightly tapered tips. Their surface may have a wrinkled texture and may be yellow, orange, or white. The number of eggs in a clutch reaches 400 pieces. Unfortunately, after the mating season, female ladybirds die.
After 1-2 weeks, variegated oval or flat-shaped ladybug larvae emerge from the laid eggs. The surface of their body may be covered with fine bristles or hairs, and the pattern on the body is formed by a combination of yellow, orange and white spots. In the first days of their life, the larvae eat the shell of the egg from which they hatched, as well as unfertilized eggs or eggs with a dead embryo. Having gained strength, the ladybird larvae begin to destroy aphid colonies.
The larval stage of insect development lasts about 4-7 weeks, after which pupation occurs. The pupa is attached to the plant leaf by the remains of the exoskeleton of the larva. During this period, all body parts characteristic of an insect are formed.
After 7-10 days, a fully formed adult individual emerges from the cocoon.
There are more than 4,000 known species of ladybugs, which are distributed in all parts of the world. Some of them are found on all plants: trees, shrubs or grasses that only have aphids; others only hold on field herbs; still others - in meadows adjacent to streams; the fourth - only on trees; finally, some species live on reeds and other aquatic plants; the latter are distinguished by longer legs, which help them stay on plants that easily bend from the wind. Let's look at the most interesting of them.
Two-spot ladybird (lat. Adalia bipunctata)
The two-spot ladybug (lat. Adalia bipunctata) is a beetle with a body length of up to 5 mm, dark red elytra and two large black spots. The prothorax lacks an anterior carina. The pronotum is black and has a yellow lateral border.
Seven-spot ladybird (lat. Coccinella septempunctata)
The seven-spotted ladybug (lat. Coccinella septempunctata) is the most common ladybug in Europe. The size of a ladybug reaches 7-8 mm. The elytra are colored red; they have one small white spot (at the base) and three large black spots. The seventh spot of the ladybug is located on the pronotum (scutellum).
Twelve-spotted ladybug (lat. Coleomegilla maculata)
The twelve-spotted ladybug (lat. Coleomegilla maculata) has a length of 6 mm and pink or red coloration of the elytra with 6 points on each of them. Lives in North America adult insect feeds on pollen, causing damage to agricultural crops. The larvae eat aphids.
Twenty-two-spot ladybird, or psyllobora (lat. Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata)
Twenty-two-spot ladybird, or psyllobora (lat. Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata). The beetle is up to 3-4.5 mm long, black below, lemon yellow above. The body is hemispherical. The male's head has two black dots, the female's is black. Pronotum with five black spots. Each elytra has eleven black spots: four along the suture, three along the middle, three along the edge and one on the edge. Sometimes the spots disappear or merge into the bandage.
Interesting facts
- Since ancient times, people have idolized and worshiped the ladybug. The ancient Slavs considered her a messenger of the Sun goddess. With its help they predicted the upcoming weather. A bug flying away from the palm promised a good clear day, and an insect wanting to stay on the hand foreshadowed bad weather.
For scientists, the annual flight of ladybugs for the winter still remains a mystery. Bugs always return to places once chosen. This phenomenon cannot be explained by the insect’s good memory, since due to their short lifespan, new generations return to their old wintering grounds.
A hungry ladybug larva, keen on searching for food, can cover a “huge” distance for insects - 12 meters.
The larvae of these cute bugs can be cannibals, eating their relatives who have not yet hatched from the eggs.
In ancient times, the poison secreted by ladybugs, oddly enough, was used for good purposes - applied to an aching tooth.
Ladybugs in intimate matters are simple tireless lovers. They can spend up to 10 hours straight in each other's arms! Well, as the most insatiable insects, they are prone to all sorts of ailments that are sexually transmitted from males to females. Coccypolypus is a mite that overtakes the latter, after which they cannot produce offspring.
Few people know that there are even monuments to ladybugs in many countries: Japan, Warsaw, Seoul, in the French city of Millau and in Russia - in Volgograd.
Ladybug Monument in Tokyo, Japan
Ladybug Monument in Seoul, South Korea
Monument to a ladybug on a building in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Scientific classification:
Domain: Eukaryotes
Kingdom: Animals
Type: Arthropods
Class: Insects
Squad: Coleoptera
Family: Ladybugs (lat. Coccinellidae (Latreille, 1807))
The botanical name of this colorful insect is Coccinellidae. The beetle differs from most garden inhabitants by being attractive. appearance. When a person sees it, there is no instinctive desire to crush or slam it, and even the name indicates a loyal attitude. And rightly so, because adults feed garden pests. But that's not all that ladybugs eat: there are also herbivores among them.
Characteristics of an insect
There is no consensus on the origin of the name. It's interesting that on different languages it means only good things, for example, little calf, little lamb, sunshine, red-bearded grandfather. The body length of the cow varies from 4 mm to 1 cm. The body is elongated-oval or almost round shape. The back is very convex, the abdomen is flattened. Hairs grow on the lower surface of the body, but not in all species. The body is divided into the following parts:
- abdomen;
- chest, including 3 sections;
- head;
- pronotum;
- 6 legs;
- elytra;
- wings.
The structure of the pronotum is transverse; there is a notch in the anterior part. The head is motionless and small, the eyes are very large relative to the body, convex. Movable antennae consist of 8-10 segments. There are often spots on the anterior edge of the pronotum, as well as on the head. The color type differs different types, and there are also beetles with a monochromatic back.
It is impossible to say unambiguously which group of insects the ladybug belongs to, because among its species there are predators, phytophages and omnivores.
The middle and front parts of the chest are extended across the body, and the back part is almost square. All beetle legs have average length and in relation to the body they look proportional. Each limb consists of one hidden and three obvious segments. The adult moves with high speed using blades of grass, leaves, soil and other surfaces as support. The abdomen is divided into 6 segments covered with hard semirings (sternites).
The hind wings are designed for flight, and the front wings, in the process of evolution, developed into elytra. Their task is to cover the main pair while the beetle crawls rather than flies. Beetles protect themselves from birds and small animals that feed on insects by releasing a poisonous liquid with a nasty, pungent odor. The bright color also makes larger insects, as well as birds, afraid to taste it. Color options:
- dark purple;
- brown;
- bright burgundy;
- brown;
- dark orange and others.
The spots are most often black, gray-white, red-red or rich in color. They can be round, square or shapeless. In some species, females and males have different patterns.
Common types
The family to which the brightly colored beetle belongs has 7 subfamilies and about 4 thousand species. Several of them are found in the gardens of our country, the rest are more or less common on different continents. Varieties of greatest interest to gardeners:
Habitat
The cow lives in everyone climatic zones and on every continent except Antarctica. A beetle cannot survive only where all year round The temperature remains below freezing. For example, it is not high in the mountains, where there is snow all the time. Countries with the most species: Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, France, Poland, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Japan, Pakistan, Mongolia, India, Korea, China.
More often the insect settles on crops covered with aphids, but sometimes it chooses reeds, sedges and young reeds as a habitat. There are species that prefer to settle field plants. Some prefer the banks of reservoirs, others need a shady, but not waterlogged area.
Insects live separately for most of their lives. You can see many individuals together only during wintering, migration or mating season. Although the beetle tolerates cold, it is a heat-loving insect. IN warm time year prefers a climate of temperate latitudes, and during cold weather some subspecies move to other countries. The life expectancy of such species reaches 2 years, and with a lack of nutrition - even less.
There are sedentary insects that gather in colonies of up to 40 million for the winter. One such community can weigh 2-3 tons. Having taken refuge from the cold and huddled together, insects worry severe frosts. During the winter, many die, but the main part of the colony emerges from hibernation in the spring. It is not difficult to find where ladybugs hibernate in the garden: they usually choose places between stones, plant debris, and foliage.
Eating in the wild
IN natural conditions insects eat various types aphids. This pest poses a danger to both crops and wild herbs, trees and shrubs. The beetle with bright dots is a real helper for gardeners. By destroying pest colonies, it makes it possible to use pesticides and insecticides in smaller quantities, and sometimes even do without chemicals. Except for aphids, everything is food insects that do not have a hard chitinous shell:
- scale insects;
- psyllids;
- scale insects;
- ticks.
If in separate region For some reason, the population of ladybugs is greatly reduced, and pests begin to multiply rapidly as the deterrent disappears. In this case, mass destruction of crops occurs. If measures are not taken in time, you may be left without the harvest of many agricultural crops. Relationships between species are of great importance to biological system, and don’t forget about it.
The natural balance can be disrupted for other reasons, as happened in European countries. By chance, the grooved scale insect was introduced, and the number beneficial insects turned out to be insufficient to cope with the pest. In its homeland, Australia, this species does not harm cultivated plants, since there are quite a lot of rhodolia - cows no larger than a match head. Scientists urgently had to import rhodolia from Australia. This measure helped save the orange orchards.
Of those species that feed on both plants and insects, in Russia the most common are three:
- Pointless. An omnivorous insect that eats both pests and sweet clover, alfalfa, clover and some other herbs.
- Coccinellid twenty-eight point. Eats aphids, mites, scale insects, scale insects, as well as plantings of cucumbers, potatoes, and tomatoes. Often found in the Far East.
- Alfalfa. It feeds on garden pests, alfalfa and sugar beet leaves.
Larvae and adults use the same food for food, but in different quantities. In 3 weeks, the larva eats up to 7 thousand aphids, and an adult ladybug eats several times more. In turn, the volume of food consumed by a herbivorous insect is several times greater than that consumed by a predator ladybird.
Diet at home
A beneficial insect can get into the house by accident, for example, people often bring it on clothes or with crops. It also happens that a beetle sneaks into a home to escape cold and hunger. An adult can survive in the house if it is fed and provided with a calm environment. The best food for a beetle is spider mite or aphids, but if there are no pests on the flowers, there is no point in breeding them on purpose. This is what ladybugs eat at home:
- natural honey diluted in water;
- sweetened water;
- pieces of raisins, bean leaves, peas, tomato, cucumber (suitable for phytophages).
It can be interesting for children to watch a bug eat. In the first days after an insect enters the house, it needs to be fed, and then no longer. You should find a cool place for the cow and put it there. The appropriate temperature for a match is between window frames. There the beetles can sleep peacefully until spring. The insect will not cause any harm in the house, and in the spring it can be released into the garden.
It is important to know: both insectivorous and herbivorous ladybugs are useful for the ecosystem, and you should not destroy them unnecessarily. The child should also be explained that killing insects is bad.
Reproduction and life cycle
At the age of 3-6 months, the beetles become sexually mature. Mating begins in the spring, shortly after emerging from hibernation. The female secretes a liquid, the smell of which attracts males. Beetles choose a place for eggs where there are colonies of aphids in order to provide the offspring with food. The clutch usually contains 400 eggs, oval in shape, orange, yellow or white.
In 10-15 days, the ladybug develops into a larva. Juveniles have the same coloration as adults. First, they feed on the shell of the eggs from which they hatched, as well as on dead embryos. After a few days they begin to eat aphids, and after 5-7 weeks they pupate. Part of the larval cover is retained, and with these remains the pupa is attached to the leaf. Last stage- formation of all body parts, after which the beetles hatch. That's how it is brief description life cycle.
Thanks to the gluttony of larvae and adult cows, farmers in many countries around the world can get by with less chemical treatments or not use insecticides at all. Interesting way processing fields - spraying adult insects from airplanes and helicopters. For this purpose, ladybugs are bred on special farms. Thus, most species only bring benefits. Bright insects that damage agricultural crops live mostly in countries with tropical and subtropical climates, and are rare in Russia.