LADYBUGS

Prepared by: Sansar Sahani via Agriculturists’ Community

Ladybugs are small size beautiful insects belonging to the family coccinellidae. Ladybugs are not actually bugs , they are beetles. They are found in various colours ; yellow, red, green, grey, black, even pink. Dark colours of ladybugs make them appear as poisonous or toxic to many birds and other predators and hence , are protected from being killed. They curl up and pretend to be dead with legs up to protect them from predators.
They are not aggresive , docile in nature and generally don’t bite to humans. However, some Asian lady beetles bite by scrapping the skin they land on and leave a yelow , foul smelling liquid on the surfaces where they gather. But, their bite is not harmful and they don’t spread diseases to human. Their bite can be allergic to human skin but are not fatal . Care should be taken for our pets to protect their encounter with ladybugs as they can be poisonous to our pets.
Ladybugs are beneficial insects for human beings. They can be used as the biological tool to control pests . They feed on harmful insects like aphids, scale, mealybugs, spider mites etc. They can be good alternatives for pesticides if used propery. Female ladybugs are larger than male and they can eat as many as 75 aphids in one day. They smell with feet and antennae. During winter , they undergoes hibernation in groups whose members can extend upto thousands.