LADYBUGS

by: Angelee W and KimberlyN

Ladybugs are insects that have six short, small legs. Ladybugs have wings a outer shell and the wings inside are the ones they use to fly with, many pluck them off which causes a sticky, yellow substance squeeze out that is their blood. Most of them are red with spots but there are many with different colors too. The females have spots ( that are black) and the males have no spots at all. They each have antennaes that they use for communication they also have little pinchers on their head which is their mouth they use for chewing.Their are over 150 species in the U.S.A but over 4,000 species in the world!

This is a diagram of some of the parts of a ladybug.

FOOD

Ladybugs eat aphids. Aphids are tiny bugs that drink the sticky,sweet stuff in plants doing this they kill plants but with ladybugs they are nothing but food! Ladybugs help the plants by eating these pesty aphids and aphids can not fight back. They also eat nectar and pollen from the plants.They eat over 150 aphids each per day!

REPRODUCTION

Ladybugs mate throughly during winter and summer, when kids are born they do not look like ladybugs they look like squirmy worms. They are still larvae so they cannot walk the mother than carries its kid on its back. As it gets older the mom leaves it alone but before hatching they eat its egg shell too. Then it starts a new life and the cycle begins again! The male is smaller than the female.Ladybugs also hibernate during winter.

LIFE CYCLE OF A LADYBUG

Ladybugs, when born they look like small caterpillars.They are born in  tiny, little, yellow, eggs. As they get older they still have their egg shell so they munch it off if their when skin is to tight. Then it grows new skin. After that they form wings which when flying repells quickly when they fly.But for now it is still wet so they go in the sun to dry it off. Doing this they soon get their spots and color. Ladybugs have antennaes that they use to touch,smell, and communicate. The adult ladybug feeds on aphids as well as it did when it was young. But they eat other things too such as the pollen and nectar from the flowers.

COLORS OF THE LADYBUGS

Ladybugs come in many different colors such as, red,yellow,green,orange, and even black they have many different colors for their spots too like, black, white, orange, yellow and several other colors too.Some ladybugs colors mean they are poisonous and dangerous!

RESEARCH

We are researching 15 ladybugs. Many have began mating and the information on here was our schema by doing this research project. Further information shall be posted later as we get our facts.

Here you will learn ladybug facts

Question: What color of ladybugs is most common in America?

Answer: The red and black spotted ladybug.

Question: What color are their eggs?

Answer: Their eggs are yellow.

Question: How long after mating  will the eggs be born?

Answer: They will be born in one week.

Question: What do some colors mean?

Answer: The colors mean they are poisonous or dangerous but most of them are harmless.

Question: How much aphids do they eat in a day?

Answer: They eat over 150 aphids per day!

Question: Is the male bigger or smaller than the female?

Answer: The male is smaller than the female.

                                                                    Question: Do the hatchlings look like the adult parents?

Answer: No, they do not look like their parents. They look like little worms or little caterpillar.

Question: Do they hibernate?

Answer : Yes , they do. They  hibernate because aphids are more plentiful in warm weather .

WORDS THAT DESCRIBE LADYBUGS

Ladybugs - When Ladybugs fly, they beat their wings 85 times per second.   Aphids - A Ladybug’s favorite food — they are tiny bugs that live on plants.  Different name - In Europe, Ladybugs are called Ladybirds.  Yellow - Also pale orange, and red are the colors of most Ladybugs. They also have black dots on their backs.  Beetles - Ladybugs are really beetles.  Usually - Ladybugs won’t fly in the dark or in cool weather.  Gardeners - And farmers too are happy to see Ladybugs on their plants because they eat the aphids and keep the crops healthy.  Smell - Ladybugs smell and taste very bad. Birds soon learn to stay away from them.

SOURCES: The Ladybug by: Crewe Sabrina, and other source: Ladybugs by: Suzanne Slade  

photo credit: http://www.ladybuglearningzone.com/ladybug_behavior.php