This Saturday at the Farmer’s Market the WOW booth will be featuring Ladybugs.
We call them bugs but Ladybugs are actually in the beetle family and the scientific name is Coccinella septempunctata. These attractive insects are valuable to farmers and gardeners because they eat aphids and other insects that destroy plants. The Ladybug that we see most commonly is the seven-spotted ladybug with a shiny red body and black spots. This insect is actually native to Europe but was brought to this country for pest control.
I tend to think of these insects as being cute, but the color and markings are warnings to predators that they taste bad. In its lifetime a female ladybug will lay as many as 2000 eggs. Think about that!
They are active in the warm months but look for places to get out of the cold and that’s why you may find them in your house in the winter. They don’t like cold weather.
For more cool facts about Ladybugs go to this link: http://insects.about.com/od/beetles/a/10-facts-ladybugs.htm