Ladybugs

To an English farmer, a ladybug signals a good harvest. In France, a ladybug is a sign of good weather. A ladybug walking on the hand of a Swedish girl is said to be measuring it for wedding gloves. In Canada, ladybugs wintering in your garage mean good luck. Bright, beautiful, and easy-going ladybugs (sometimes called lady beetles or ladybirds) are hard not to like. And the more you know about them, the better it gets.

Here are some interesting ladybug facts:

1. Ladybugs eat only aphids. Some can eat up to 200 a day!

2. Ladybugs are very beneficial to crops and gardens.

3. Ladybugs hibernate. In the fall, they are attracted to the sunny side of buildings as a place to stay for the winter.

4. There are over 3,500 species of ladybugs in the world, and more than 400 species in North America.

5. Other names for the ladybug are ladycow, ladyfly, the Virgin Mary's golden hen, and beast of the Lord.

6. Their family name Coccinelidae is derived from the Latin word Coccinatus which means "clad in scarlet".

7. Adult ladybugs have six legs and a round or oval body with a rounded top and flat underside.

8. Ladybugs eat with big jagged teeth instead of sucking food like some other insects do.

9. Ladybugs fold their soft wings under hard wing covers called "elytra". When flying, ladybugs lift their elytra up and out of the way.

10. The bright patterns on their wing covers warn enemies about the ladybug's best defense... beetlejuice! When a ladybug is threatened, it squirts stinky, foul-tasting fluid from its joints. Most birds and spiders find this out once and never forget!

11. Female ladybugs lay tiny yellow eggs in clumps on the underside of leaves. Some lay up to 1000 eggs.

Information adapted from Spot the Ladybug, The Canadian Nature Federation

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