Hi there, my name is Addi, #ShredRight4Good Junior Reporter, and I am excited to be here with my first blog post! Today I am going to talk about some interesting facts about ladybugs.
Did you know…
Ladybugs are so small, they are only 0.3 to 0.4 inches big.
The name “ladybug” was coined by European farmers when pests began eating their crops. After ladybugs came and wiped out the invading insects, aphids, the farmers named them “beetle of Our Lady.” This eventually was shortened to “lady beetle” and “ladybug.”
One ladybug can eat up to 5,000 insects in its life time.
Ladybugs can live 2-3 years in the wild.
In the photo below: you can see where ladybugs migrate and live throughout the year.
NASA even sent a few ladybugs into space with aphids to see how aphids would escape in zero gravity. (More on this in a future post.)
Seven-spotted ladybug larvae are long, black, and spiky-looking with orange or yellow spots. Some say they look like tiny alligators!! Larvae grow quickly and shed their skin several times. When they reach full size, they attach to a leaf by their tail, and a pupa is formed. Within a week or two, the pupa becomes an adult ladybug.
Heres a funny story that happened to me once!
We were at the beach and my siblings and I were eating watermelon, this ladybug came over and started to drink the watermelon juice that dripped on the table and it was drinking it for a long time. It was so funny!
Can’t wait to adventure through nature with you!
Until next time,
-Addi
Resources for this post were found at National Geographic.
