Who eats ladybugs? The benefits and harms of insects. Ladybug development

An adult ladybug is an insect 8 mm long. The ladybug overwinters under fallen leaves in forest-flat gardens in cracks under the bark and other secluded places. In early spring The ladybug comes out of its hiding place after a while, evaporates and lays smooth yellow eggs in small groups. A female ladybug lays an average of up to 100 eggs. After 6-8 days, variegated larvae are born. They are very mobile and move quickly in search of food. Adult larvae pupate in feeding areas and after 6-9 days the beetles hatch and immediately begin active feeding. The development of a ladybug from the egg phase to an adult insect lasts about a month. During the year it develops in 1-2 generations. In addition to the seven-colored ladybug, more than 20 species of these species live in the gardens. beneficial insects. These are small bugs with red, yellow, black and other colors on the front wings, differing in the number of colored or white spots on them.

How many of you, as a child, threw a red beetle with black dots that landed on you into the air while saying the mysterious words “Ladybug, fly to the sky, bring us bread, black, white, but not burnt”?

But it seems to me that not many people have thought about where these mysterious creatures come from and how they live." ladybugs" And their life is still an adventure.

Let's discuss these seemingly cute creatures.

“God’s” briefly means “harmless”, but this is not at all true; in case of danger, it secretes a foul-smelling, poisonous liquid - cantharidin.

“Cantaridin is a non-protein poison. The active principle of the poisonous hemolymph of representatives of the blister beetle family. It has a blister and aphrodising effect (causing sexual arousal). When the beetles' hemolymph gets on the skin, the orifices of the follicles are affected, resulting in the formation of large blisters. The entry of cantharidin into the digestive tract leads to rapidly developing intoxication. At autopsy, a sharp hyperemia of the mucous membranes, the formation of ulcers and foci of hemorrhage are noted. When cantharide extract gets on the skin, severe irritation, pain, burning occurs, and blisters appear, as if from a burn.” - wikipedia

In general, I don’t advise you to try to squeeze/unclench it when you encounter this bug.

These creatures are not protected by cantharidin alone; their coloring primarily repels predators. Speaking of coloring, it turns out that there are not only red and yellow ones, there are also white, dirty yellow with black specks, black with dirty yellow specks, blue, black with red specks, orange and many others.

Echnators, tiny insects from the order Hymenoptera, track ladybugs by smell. Seeing the rider, the beetle takes off, but the rider extremely persistently pursues the beetle through the grass jungle.

At the same time, the rider’s abdomen is tucked in, tucked under the body, his thin sword - the ovipositor - is put forward and extended further than the head.

The injection is applied to the chest - from below, or from above - between the elytra. Having inserted the ovipositor into the enemy, the female rider lays an egg in him.

A little distracted from the topic, how do these bugs live?

Regardless of their species, ladybugs lead a separate lifestyle, gathering together only during the mating season, migration or wintering.

All species from the ladybird family are heat-loving insects, so most individuals living in temperate latitudes, on the eve of the onset of cold weather, gather in huge flocks and fly to countries with warm climates for the winter. However, there are also sedentary insects. They wait out the winter cold, huddled together in huge communities, the number of which can reach 40 million individuals. In this case, the total weight of a flock of ladybugs can be several tons. As a shelter from unfavorable conditions insects use debris from stones, fallen bark and tree foliage. But ladybugs don't live long. With sufficient food supplies, the lifespan of ladybugs can reach 1 year; if there is a shortage of food, this period is reduced to several months.

These eat God's creatures not only grass and leaves (there are somewhat fewer of these species), their diet includes aphids, mites, small caterpillars, butterfly eggs/ Colorado potato beetle, and at the initial stages of development, the diet of the ladybug larva also includes the unfertilized eggs of its relatives, but who can tell whether they are fertilized or not, so the larvae often eat their relatives who have not yet hatched from the eggs.

it turns out whoever hatched first wins this local game for life.

Now you know how Ladybug lives, Thanks for reading! 🙂

“A scarlet bug with black dots” is the name of the ladybug in “ Explanatory dictionary living Great Russian language" by Vladimir Dahl. But is it? And what other secrets does this insect have?

A small bug, flat at the bottom and convex at the top, like a ball cut in half, with red wing covers on which 7 dots stand out as black drops. This is exactly how we know the classic ladybug - the seven-spotted one.

Surprisingly, many of our other beliefs about these insects fall into the category of myths rather than truth. We will try to debunk them.

Myth 1. All cows are the same

In fact, there are so many species of ladybug and they are so little similar to each other that it is often difficult to guess that the insect you meet is a scarlet bug. These beetles can be yellow, orange, brown, black and even blue, and the dots are not necessarily black, but... red, yellow or white. And there may be no points at all. Instead, there will be stripes, spots and even commas on the elytra. Not only that, but cows of the same species, but originating from different areas, may have different colors. And its brightness also depends on age.

Myth 2. The number of dots on the back determines the age of the cow.

The number of spots on ladybugs varies from 2 to 28, depends only on the species and has nothing to do with age. IN temperate climate The life expectancy of most of them is less than a year, and only a few, under favorable conditions, live up to two years.

Myth 3: Ladybugs only eat aphids.

Adult beetles and beetle larvae feed on larvae and adult aphids, copperheads, whiteflies, scale insects, false scale insects, scale insects, spider mites, as well as eggs of many plant-damaging insects and mites, small caterpillars and pupae. Their daily diet can include from 150 to 800 different pests!

Ladybug larvae are excellent hunters. These motley-colored (with yellow, red or crimson dots on a dark background) creatures are very active and can crawl over considerable distances. But most often they can be seen walking among aphid colonies, where they choose their lunch with dignity. Ladybugs develop 1–2 generations over the summer, so where several species live, the active period of pest extermination stretches from spring to late autumn.

Myth 4. These bugs are poisonous

Despite predatory nature, for you and me, ladybugs are not at all dangerous. True, there are still several cases of them biting people. This usually happened during the years of their mass reproduction, during flights in search of free territory and most often near water bodies. Perhaps the beetles mistook people for attacking predators and defended themselves. There is also a hypothesis that cows are attracted to human sweat - they are “drawn to salty things.”

In addition, when contacted, ladybugs can secrete a protective fluid that irritates the skin and can create a stinging sensation.

Myth 5. All cows benefit the garden

In fact, not all cows are predators. Some species are not only vegetarians, but also dangerous pests. For example, in Central Asia, melons, cucumbers and pumpkins are damaged by the melon bug. It eats away the ovaries, gnaws out the pulp in the fruits and makes holes in the leaves. Its larvae do the same. Close to it is the 28-spotted potato ladybug - a pest of potatoes (in the Far East - no better than the Colorado potato beetle!), tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables.

In the southern regions of Russia, the alfalfa moth damages alfalfa and sugar beets. And in Smolensk, Saratov and some other regions middle zone and the south of Russia, the pointless ladybird is harmful: it feeds on clover, alfalfa and sweet clover.

However, there are few herbivorous ladybugs and their harm is nothing compared to the benefits from the activities of their predatory relatives, natural plant protectors.

Six-legged helpers

I heard that it is useful to specifically collect ladybugs and release them into your area. And somewhere they even sell them. Is it true?

I. Mosina, St. Petersburg

Using ladybugs to control pests is a completely sound idea. But it also has some limitations. First of all, such living helpers can be used only if the pests have already multiplied in large numbers and threaten the plantings: in the absence of food, the number of ladybugs will quickly fall. In addition, you will have to greatly limit the use or even completely eliminate chemical pesticides.

Ladybugs are most effective indoors - in greenhouses, greenhouses, winter gardens and even in residential premises and offices, where the use of pesticides is undesirable and the freedom of movement of beetles is significantly limited.

If you want to release cows brought from somewhere in the garden, then it is better to do this when the temperature consistently exceeds +10 °C. And for the settlers to stay with you, create suitable conditions for them.

Leave a few islands of dandelion, yarrow, tansy, sweet clover, and navel in your garden. Plant red elderberry behind the fence - these plants attract aphids and, accordingly, keep ladybugs in the area.

It is also useful to place special houses on the site that imitate the natural wintering place of these insects. These houses can be made from old logs with holes drilled or the middle removed. It is advisable to place them in warm and wind-protected places, not far from plants susceptible to aphid attack.

And one last thing. Be prepared that ladybugs will not kill all plant enemies. After all, if they are gone, what will their offspring eat? A small portion of ladybug pests are always left for breeding. And the modern concept of plant protection states that the task of using beneficial insects is not to completely destroy pests, but to control their numbers.

A cult insect among many peoples, the ladybug, belongs to the phylum Arthropods, class of insects, order Coleoptera, family Ladybirds. The Latin name for this bug is Coccinellidae. IN English language There are several names for this bug: Lady bird, Lady bug, Lady beetle.

Description of the ladybug

The ladybug is not the largest insect. Its size, depending on the type, is 5-9 mm. The body structure of all species of this insect is almost the same, and is shaped like a flattened ball cut in half, flat at the bottom. The head, thorax in three sections, pronotum, abdomen with three pairs of four-jointed legs and wings with elytra represent the main parts of the body of this bug.

The insect has a pair of relatively large eyes on a head that is relatively small compared to the body. The head is decorated with multi-segmented flexible antennae. The lifestyle of the cows contributed to the transformation of the fore wings into durable chitinous elytra during a long period of evolution. These insects fly with the help of elastic hind wings. The front wings act as a shield when the cows are not flying.

Different species of this insect have different colors: red, yellow, white, blue and black. As a rule, the color is marked by individual spots, the number of which depends on the type of insect. This color is a warning to other animals that may try to eat the ladybug. Available in the arsenal protective equipment ladybug bad smell. It comes from hemolymph, an orange fluid that is released from the joints when the bug is attacked and senses danger. This liquid also has an unpleasant taste, which is why few people hunt the ladybug.

Types of ladybugs

The ladybug family is very numerous. It is divided into seven subfamilies and about 360 genera, which are further divided into species. More than five thousand species of this family are now known. On the territory of our country, as well as throughout Europe, the dominant ladybug is the usual red color with seven black dots on the elytra. This is a seven-spotted ladybug.

We also find the following species of this family:
- pointless ladybug. It is smaller than the seven-spotted one, 4-5 mm, red in color and without spots on the elytra;
- twenty-two-spot ladybug. The peculiarity of this cow is that it yellow color and has 22 points on the back;
- Ocellated ladybird, so named because of the dots in the shape of an eye. There can be ten or fewer of them on each elytra. Prefers to feed on aphids coniferous trees;
- two-spot ladybug. The pattern on the elytra may vary, but most often has one dot on each elytra.

Ladybug development

The ladybug does not live long - 2-3 years. Puberty occurs at approximately 3-6 months. The female attracts males for mating using the smell of sex pheromones. This usually occurs in the spring, and in some species in the fall.

Taking care of the future offspring, the female lays eggs next to colonies of aphids (future food for her hatched larvae), and for safety reasons, only on the underside of the leaves, up to 50 pieces in one place. Typically, a female lays up to 500 eggs in one laying period. Immediately after laying, the female dies.

The larvae hatch in 10-12 days. Larvae usually gray in color- small, elongated, campodioform, covered with spines of various shapes, hairs or white waxy secretions. There are always red or yellow dots on the body. The larvae have an excellent appetite. During the period of development in the larval stage, which is from two weeks to three months, each larva eats about a thousand aphids.

After the larval stage comes the pupal stage. During this period, all parts of the ladybug's body are formed - head, chest, abdomen, three pairs of legs and wings. After about a week and a half, a bug emerges from the pupa. A ladybug emerging from a pupa is adult.

Where does the ladybug live

The habitat of the ladybug is very wide. Almost all continents, with the exception of the northernmost regions. The ladybug leads a solitary lifestyle. Most of its life is spent near aphid populations. As you know, these are mainly our gardens and vegetable gardens, as well as abandoned areas overgrown with weeds. But late autumn they gather in groups of 20-100 individuals and spend the winter in hibernation. In order not to turn into ice in the cold, the ladybug has the ability to replace water in the body with the so-called “antifreeze” - glycerin and sugar during the winter. As a result, enzyme activity in the body decreases and metabolism slows down. Places for hibernation can be very diverse: cracks in tree trunks, cracks in the walls of houses, places under moss and large stones, under fallen leaves and even in sheds and living quarters.

What do ladybugs eat?

Most species of ladybirds are entomophagous predators, that is, insects that eat other insects. The basis of ladybugs' diet is aphids. If there are not enough aphids, then ladybugs can eat insects with a soft chitinous cover: ants, mites, scale insects, whiteflies and others. However, there are exceptions, for example, the diet of the 28-spot ladybug consists only of plant foods - potatoes, beets, clover.

Benefits of ladybug

Ladybugs are extremely useful for people in terms of controlling garden and vegetable pests, mainly different types aphids: green peach and green apple, plum pollinated red blood; scale insects: Californian, yellow and red pear, comma-shaped; false scale insects - acacia and plum; psyllids - apple and pear, as well as many types of other small arthropod pests. Various sources indicate different quantities pests destroyed by a ladybug during its lifetime. The count goes into the thousands. And indeed it is. Therefore, it can be used as a “living insecticide”, as a weapon in the fight against these pests. Some gardeners catch ladybugs themselves and release them into their garden. The survival of ladybugs in your garden will be facilitated by planting aromatic crops such as coriander, celery and even parsley. These plants attract ladybugs with their smell, and in winter they can become a wintering place for them.

Today we will talk about the arthropod beetle insect - the ladybug. For many, this beetle is the personification of summer and the warm sun.

Both adults and children love it too. Where does this insect get its name and what is it called in different countries?

Scientifically, the ladybug is called “coccineus”, which is translated from Latin language means "scarlet". This beetle has many popular names in different countries of the world and they are all very cute:

• the Germans have a “bug” Virgin Mary»,
• among the Czechs - “Sun”,
• Latin Americans call it “St. Anthony’s cow.”

Where the Russian nickname for the beetle “ladybug” came from is not known for certain. One of the versions is the peculiarity of the beetle, when in danger, is to secrete a yellow liquid similar to milk. In fact, this liquid is poisonous and is designed to scare away enemies. And the word “godly” means harmless. Another assumption is that the beetle has this name because by destroying aphids, it saves the crop.

Description of the beetle structure with photographs

The sizes of the bugs vary from 4 to 10 millimeters. Their body is almost round, the abdomen is flat, and the top is convex. Some varieties of ladybugs have small hairs on their bodies. The body structure is distinguished by the beetle's head, pronotum, chest and six legs, belly, elytra and wings.

Beetle head small, connected to the chest and completely motionless. Some varieties have an elongated head. The eyes are large and the antennae are very flexible.

Pronotum of a beetle resembles a sphere with a notch at the leading edge. There are often dark spots on the pronotum.

Ladybug has 3 pairs of legs. The insect moves quite quickly in thickets of grass due to the special structure of its legs.

Bugs can fly thanks to the existing pair of wings. There are also elytra that protect the wings while on the ground.

When danger arises, for example, a bird attack, the bug releases a liquid with a pungent odor, which scares off ill-wishers. The bug is also helped by its bright color.

Coloring of ladybug elytra can be different and the color directly depends on the type of insect. So, the color of the elytra of a ladybug is:

• scarlet,
• yellow,
• black,
• blue,
• brown.

The spots on a bright background are usually dark, but they can also be yellow and even white. Some types of bugs may have abstract spots, some will have distinct polka dots, and others will have none at all. Often such patterns can help determine the sex of an individual.

Types of insects

The ladybug family includes more than four thousand species beetles, which are conventionally divided into families and 360 genera.

The most interesting views ladybugs:

Habitat

The range of ladybugs covers the entire Earth , except Antarctica and permafrost zones.

Some types of insects live only on plants densely populated by aphids, others choose reed grass and sedge growing on river banks, and still others require exclusively field grass for normal life.

As a rule, these cute beetles live separately and gather in groups only for the winter or during the mating season.

Ladybug is very thermophilic, so when cold weather sets in, the bugs fly away in groups warmer climes for the winter. There are also sedentary varieties of ladybugs; they wait out the frosts, gathering in numerous groups. Such a group can number up to 40 million beetles. They take refuge in stones, fallen leaves, and tree bark.

The lifespan of an insect is short. If there is no lack of food, then their life reaches one year, with a lack of food - several months.

Insect feeding

All ladybugs, with rare exceptions - predatory insects and prefer aphids and mites. They are also not averse to eating caterpillars and butterfly eggs. If there is not enough food, then the insect will not disdain and eat the eggs of the Colorado potato beetle.

There are varieties of ladybugs that feed exclusively on grass, mushroom mycelium and fruits.

Insect reproduction and development

An individual becomes sexually mature between three and six months. Mating begins in the spring. Immediately after waking up from hibernation, the beetles are ready for the mating process. The female emits a pungent odor, thanks to which the male finds her. The insect lays eggs on plants inhabited by aphids, thereby providing food to its future offspring. One clutch can contain up to 400 eggs. After the mating period, all females die.

After two weeks, small variegated larvae emerge from the eggs. Their body is covered with a pattern of yellow, white and orange spots. For the first few days, the larvae feed on egg shells and unfertilized eggs, and when they get a little stronger, they take on aphids.

The larval stage lasts from 4 to 7 weeks, after which the pupation stage begins. The pupa is attached to the leaf and the body of the insect is gradually formed.

After a few days, usually from 7 to 10, an adult ladybug appears.

The benefits and harms of insects

These gluttonous kids benefit thousands of gardeners and gardeners by eliminating aphids- the most annoying enemy of all plants. A beetle larva can eat more than 50 aphids per day, and an adult beetle can eat up to 100 individuals. Some people specifically breed ladybugs on their plots, this is especially true on an industrial scale. Beetles are sprayed over agricultural fields using aircraft.

Despite this, some species of these insects that live in the tropics and subtropics are capable of destroying crops by eating plants. IN Russian Federation There are several species that attack vegetable crops.