On my local patch this year there is an explosion of Ladybirds (Coccinellidae)
One thing I’ve notice this time that I hadn’t noticed before is the empty pupa shells around the garden.
There are 4 ‘instar’ stages in a ladybirds life.
First the eggs are laid, these will hatch within 4-10 days.
These eggs hatch in to larvae with tiny hair-like spines. Each species of ladybird larvae is slightly different. 7 spot ladybird larvae are black in colour with orange markings, whereas a two spot ladybird larvae is dark grey in colour.
The larva then sheds its skin and changes in to a pupa. Over a week to two weeks the body dissolves and then starts reforming as an adult beetle.
The empty cases are left behind as the newly formed Ladybird emerges. Over the next few hours the wing casing hardens and the colour patterns being to become more prominent.
A few facts about Ladybirds
- An adult ladybird can live for between 1 and 3 years.
- Ladybirds hibernate or ‘overwinter’ from October through to February
- Ladybirds are beetles, they have hard forewings (elytra) that meet centrally without overlapping and they have biting mouthparts.
- Ladybirds are eaten by some birds, spiders and predatory beetles
- Ladybirds can secrete a fluid from joints in their legs which gives them a foul taste
- Folklore says it has always been considered very unlucky to kill a ladybird