Life

Ladybugs are found all over the world including millions in the United States. They can be found on shrubs, branches, flowers, weeds, and in gardens.

Ladybugs go through many different stages of their life including the egg, larvae, pupa, and adult stages. The egg, which has been carefully laid by the mother near an aphid colony, will resemble a jellybean. Once hatched it is now a larvae. At this stage the ladybug will usually look more like a small caterpillar or lizard. They begin eating the aphid and become almost fully grown in two to three weeks. They will then attach themselves to a leaf and enter the pupa, a metamorphosis stage. When this is done they are then an adult ladybug. The outside of the ladybug is still soft and the color is not very vibrant yet. This will take a few more hours to become what we normally see.

Egg Photo by Gilles San Martin

Larvae

Photo by Nir Ofir

Pupa [] Unknown

Adult [] Unknown

Diapause (Hibernation)
Believe it or not, ladybugs are a creature that hibernate. They usually cozy up under logs, buildings, beneath snow drifts, under houses, and many more places. Millions of ladybugs will come together in the southwestern part of the United States and cover the ground forming a sea of black and red. The purpose of this is to conserve resources and bring the males and females together for reproductive. They also do this to try to stay warm so they can survive during the colder parts of the year. They usually will go into and come out of diapause when the temperature is about 55 degrees Fahrenheit.