Ladybugs use their antennae to smell food that’s nearby!
Ladybugs
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Facts About Ladybugs
A ladybug can eat its own body weight in insects every day!
Ladybugs help gardeners by eating mites, scales, and other plant-eating insects!
Some ladybug species are so tiny they only eat microscopic fungi!
Baby ladybugs are even hungrier than adults – they can eat dozens of aphids in a single hour!
Ladybugs start digesting their food outside their bodies by releasing special juices that break down their prey, like aphids. Then, they suck up the softened food and finish digesting it inside their bodies!
Conservation & Population
There are about 450 species of ladybugs native to North America alone!
Some native ladybug species are becoming rare due to competition from introduced species!
The two-spotted ladybug, once common in North America, has become rare in many areas!
The United Kingdom has only 46 different species of ladybugs!
Fun and Unique Facts
The name “ladybug” comes from the Middle Ages, when farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary to save their crops from pests!
Some cultures believe that if a ladybug lands on you, it will bring you good luck!
Ladybugs can secrete a substance that tastes awful to predators!
The Asian lady beetle can bite (though it rarely does) – but most ladybugs can’t!
In many languages, ladybugs are named after cows – like the German “Marienkäfer” (Mary’s little cow)!
Some ladybugs can produce their own antifreeze to survive cold winters!
Ladybugs make a buzzing sound when they fly by rubbing their wings together!
When in danger, ladybugs can shoot into the air by pushing off with their strong legs!
Ladybugs can fold their flying wings up like origami under their wing covers!
Some ladybugs can change color slightly based on the temperature!
Ladybugs can smell with their feet as well as their antennae!
Ladybugs can walk underwater by trapping air bubbles around their bodies!
Some ladybugs can detect approaching predators by feeling air movements with their antennae!
Ladybugs can squeeze through gaps as small as a fraction of their body size!
When flying, ladybugs can suddenly change direction by adjusting their wing positions!
Ladybugs use their front legs like arms to hold their food while eating!
