Ladybug insect description. Insects ladybugs. Ladybug on the site

Latin name ladybug sounds like "coccineus" - this means "scarlet". It was the catchy bright color that served as the basis for this name.

IN different countries This bug is called differently, but each of the names testifies to the people's love and respect for it.

Latin Americans call it “St. Anthony’s cow,” Germans and Swiss call it “Virgin Mary’s bug,” Czechs and Slovaks call it “Sun,” and Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians call it “Ladybug.” Let's find out what this insect brings to ours - benefit or harm, where it lives and what it eats.

Description and types

A beautiful beetle with spots on its wings - all residents of the country know this insect very well and have seen them in their gardens more than a dozen times.

The length of the beetle's body varies from 5 to 8 mm. The most common in our country ladybug with seven points on the carapace (“Seven-pointed”). The elegant bug received its nickname for its seven dark spots on its scarlet wings.

From time to time there are beetles with unusual colors: with yellowish wings and dark dots, or black with white spots on the shell, or even without any dots at all.

There may be more or less than seven spots; the coloring of the elytra can also be in several variations. There are about five thousand species of ladybugs around the world.

The ladybug feeds in nature and is armored and how it saves gardens and. Ladybugs of the insect world are formidable destroyers of aphids that live on the back side of leaf blades of garden and.

Did you know? In many countries, there is such a direction of agricultural business as breeding ladybugs. Farmers are seriously involved in these beneficial insects; the entire development cycle of the bugs is under strict control. Subsequently, the insects are sold to farmers and the count goes up to thousands of individuals in each batch. Aphid hunters are sold both in the country where they were raised and sent by mail throughout the world.

Life cycle features

Adult members of the family live and winter in open ground, hiding in dry rolled leaves or under dried blades of grass. With the onset of warmth, it is time to hatch and the beetles lay a clutch of 10-20 eggs.
The masonry is built either on the bark of vertical branches or on inside leaf blade, not far from the aphid settlement. From eggs to adulthood, insects gradually go through four stages.

The larvae of these insects have a brown-gray color; as the time of pupation approaches, the color of the cover changes to pale yellow. When a young beetle emerges from the pupa, it takes a little time for the elytra to finally acquire a scarlet color.

Larvae, like adults, mainly feed on aphids; this species belongs to predatory insects. Throughout its life cycle, a female beetle lays approximately a thousand eggs, from which, over time, a thousand young beetles will hatch, grow and give birth to a new generation.

From the laying of eggs to the emergence of an adult beetle in the summer, 40-60 days pass. Biological significance It is difficult to overestimate the ladybug: only one female beetle destroys up to four thousand aphids throughout its life, thereby saving plants that occupy half a hectare of land from destruction.

A funny bug with red wings with small dots, familiar to everyone since childhood, can destroy a little more than 150-170 leaf-sucking aphids in one day.

Important! The larva of this beetle does not have a very attractive appearance - it is strange creature without wings and with bright dots on the back. If you see such a monster on your loved ones or - do not rush to destroy it, soon this larva will turn into a cute colorful bug.

What is the benefit

The benefits that a ladybug brings are noticeable to the naked eye, you just have to look closely, for example, at cucumbers. back side The leaf is dotted with aphids actively sucking the juice of the leaves.

If they are left alone, after four days the leaves will dry out completely and the plant will die. But now the scarlet hunters begin their work, and the cucumber plantations will be cleared of .
It is the presence of these carnivorous insects that solves the problems with the destruction of aphid colonies on berry bushes, fruit trees, on and . The ability to do without chemical treatments will allow you to safely eat ripe fruits and vegetables.

Some gardeners in early spring Having seen small colonies of aphids on some plants, they immediately begin to resort to destroying them with pesticides. There is no need to completely destroy aphids on plants, because adult ladybugs will die without food.

With the onset of autumn, there is no need to ideally clean the garden and vegetable garden of fading plant debris, because in the absence of dry fallen leaves, empty birdhouses or piles of brushwood left for the winter, ladybugs will have nowhere to safely wait out the cold period.

Did you know? There is such a sign that foreshadows near luck in something: if a ladybug lands on your palm, then you can wait unexpected joy, Good luck. In no case do you shake off an arriving insect from your hand, so as not to shake off your luck, but wait until it flies away of its own accord.

Is there any harm

Although the benefits from the activities of beetles significantly exceed the harm they cause, it still exists. Not everything that ladybugs eat benefits the plant world.

Since the bug is a predatory and carnivorous insect, in addition to aphids, it can also eat other insects useful for the garden.

There are several types of ladybugs that cause significant damage to crops:

Lives in hot countries (Africa, Asia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan). It is also widespread in some European countries.

She puts big damage harvest Our climate is not suitable for melon ladybugs due to harsh winters.
- is a real “scourge of God” for plantings, and in Amur region, Khabarovsk Territory and the Sakhalin Peninsula.

In some places this bug is called the potato ladybug. This insect not only damages crops, vegetables, etc., but also spreads them when flying from field to field. viral diseases plants.
, or multicolored Asian - aggressive and voracious creatures, farmers are panicking because of this type of beetle North America, Western Europe and England. In 1988, these insects were brought to North America.

With their help, they were supposed to establish biocontrol over the uncontrollably spread of aphids. But this species destroys not only aphids, but also representatives of its own species and today has become the most common species in the United States and Great Britain.
Biologists in these countries are sounding the alarm - the remaining 46 species of ladybugs, which were previously ubiquitous, have almost disappeared.

Important! A gardener who wants to preserve the population of these elegant bugs on his territory needs to remember that any treatment of the garden will lead to the death of not only harmful insects. After treatment with pesticides, pests quickly restore their numbers, but beneficial bugs reproduce more slowly.

How to attract ladybugs

Attracting beetles to your garden is not very easy, but it is possible. To do this, you need to plant plants that attract this insect to settle on your territory.

Gardeners have long noticed that these bugs are lured to them by the smell of planting.

Experienced gardeners leave convenient places for the beautiful beetles to overwinter - if such shelters are prepared thoughtfully and in corners convenient for insects, then the insects willingly remain in them to overwinter.
A long-known technique: after harvesting, dry peelings from corn heads are tied into bundles and such “bouquets” are hung in the garden or on

The body of the Ladybug has the shape of a hemisphere. It is flat below and strongly convex at the top. The size of this insect can range from 4 to 10 mm. The color of the Ladybug depends on its type - it can be from plain to very variegated. In total, there are more than 4,000 species of ladybird insects. The most common color is a red back with black dots, of which there can be from 2 to 22. The ladybug has six legs, two antennae, two big eyes, two wings and two elytra that protect the main wings from damage on the ground when the Ladybug is not flying.

Young individuals have brighter colors. It fades with age. Ladybugs are protected by a yellow poisonous liquid that has bad smell, which they release when danger arises.

Family: Ladybugs

Class: Insects

Order: Coleoptera

Type: Arthropods

Kingdom: Animals

Domain: Eukaryotes

Where does Ladybug live?

The ladybug insect is distributed throughout the world and such an insect can be found on all continents of the planet except Antarctica. Preferred places are clearings and meadows with herbaceous vegetation. But they can also be found in forests.

What does a ladybug eat?

Most of representatives of ladybugs are predators, and only a few species are herbivores, which can only feed certain types plants. Predators feed on small insects such as aphids, whiteflies, spider mites, and can sometimes even attack caterpillars. They also eat not only these insects, but their eggs and larvae.

Lifestyle

Ladybugs live mostly solitary. In the warm season they lead active image life, and in the cold season, on the contrary, they gather in groups and spend the winter under leaves or under stones, hibernating. In this case, the number of groups can reach large sizes, and all the insects press tightly against each other. The lifespan of ladybugs ranges from several months to 2 years.

Reproduction

Ladybugs reproduce several times a year. The female lays 200 to 1,500 yellow eggs near a cluster of aphids or other ladybird food to provide food for her larvae.

Ladybug larvae have an elongated body, often gray, and develop from several weeks to 3 months. Just like their parents, the larvae eat a lot and are quite active.

Ladybug insect is considered beneficial insects for people, as it eats harmful insects that can harm the crop. In many names of these insects in other languages ​​of the world there is a definition of divinity: “God's cattle”, “Lady's sheep”, “Ladybugs”, etc.

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03/04/2017 at 18:19 Moscow time 15,382

Each of us knows about the brightest insect - the ladybug.

In this text you will learn everything about this insect.

Anatomical characteristics

The ladybug's body is ovoid and convex. The average size from 4 mm to 10 mm. Has two pairs of wings. The upper ones, which are rigid, cover the lower ones, which are more fragile, during flight.

The bright color of the hard wing covers warns enemies of danger. The body consists of 3 parts: head, chest (thorax), abdomen. The legs and wings are attached to the thorax.

Two eyes are located on the sides, which allows for a wider view. 2 antennae that help to navigate in space. When there is danger, a yellow, odorous fluid (hemolymph) is released.

general characteristics

Ladybug (Coccinellidae) - belongs to the beetle family (Coleoptera). Its species distribution is very large - about 5,200 subspecies around the world. More than 100 species live in Russia.

Frequently encountered

• Two-spot ladybird (Adalia bipunctata)
• Seven-spotted (Coccinella Septemunctata)
• Twelve-spotted ladybug (Coleomigilla maculata)
• Thirteen-spotted ladybird (Hippodamia tredecimpuctata)
• Quatuordecimpunctata (Propylea quatuordecimpunctata)

• Seventeen-spotted (Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata)
• Asian ladybug (Harmonia axyridis)
• Ladybug (Hippodamia variegata)
• Ladybug (Anatis ocellata)
• Alfalfa twenty-four-spotted ladybird (Subcoccinella vigintiquatuorpunctata)
• Spotless ladybug (Cynegetis impunctata)

The most common is the seven-spotted ladybug (Coccinella Septempunctata). 7 - 8 mm in length.

Habitat

Fields, meadows, areas covered with grass, banks of reservoirs. Most live in a subtropical climate.

Habitat

Europe, Asia and North Africa.

Appearance

Color of black, yellow and red flowers. Short, thin legs are black. The number of points on the body depends on the type of insect and its age.

Lifestyle

They lead a solitary lifestyle. They go for the winter in the fall, in flocks of 20 to 100 individuals, making long flights. They overwinter in fallen leaves and tree bark; some species prefer to overwinter near humans. At a temperature of 10 degrees Celsius they fly to permanent place a habitat.

Nutrition

Most of the individuals are predators. They feed on other insects, most often eating aphids. With the help of such nutrition, they control the number of insect pests.

The larvae also eat aphids. About 1000 thousand aphids are needed to develop one larva. An adult beetle eats 200 pests per day. In some cases, they eat ticks and scale insects.

Insect Reproduction

Fertilization occurs sexually. In the spring, females lay eggs from 5 to 20 pieces, and after a month, larvae hatch from there, which are practically invisible on the plants. The larvae begin to form into a pupa, and after 60 days they turn into a beetle.

Enemies

Most dangerous enemy for this insect - dinocampus. Dinocampus lay their offspring in the pupae of “cows” and even on the body of adults.

Lifespan of a ladybug

Life expectancy depends on the living conditions of the insect. On average from several months to a year. In rare cases, up to 2 years.

Red Book

The ladybug has long been listed in the Red Book not only of Russia, but of the whole world. The number of individuals has sharply decreased due to the massive destruction of aphids, which led to the disappearance of the main food source of this insect.

This beetle is one of the most ancient insects on earth. The “law” protects it from extermination, since this insect is extremely useful in agriculture.

1. Life expectancy in the wild natural conditions from 2 to 3 years.
2. In an adult, the spots on the flaps are lighter.
3. The larvae grow quite quickly.
4. In especially dangerous cases, she can pretend to be dead.
5. They can live in rooms next to humans.
6. Gardeners can purchase ladybug eggs to place on their gardens. summer cottage.
7. They are considered to bring great luck.

1. Can have a strong toxic effect on animals via hemolymph.
2. Ladybug is used in jewelry making.
3. The larvae can eat their relatives.
4. Some cultures strictly prohibit killing ladybugs, as it can cause disaster.
5. Throughout its life, it can eat about 5,000 aphids.
6. During flight, 85 wing beats are made per second.

The ladybug brings great benefits both to humans and to nature as a whole. A decrease in the number of individuals leads to a deterioration in the condition of not only plants, but also nature as a whole.

People must be more attentive to this small creature, since even this almost imperceptible creature is able to maintain natural balance.

It would seem that in order to fall into the category of superpredators you need to have huge fangs, powerful muscles or huge claws, but this is far from the case. Let's get acquainted today with a real super predator, which each of us has seen more than one hundred times. We're talking about a ladybug.

Ladybug - description of the insect

The size of the ladybug ranges from 4 to 10 mm. The body shape of insects is almost round or elongated oval, flat below and highly convex above. Its surface in some species of ladybugs is covered with fine hairs. The body structure of ladybugs includes a head, a pronotum, a thorax consisting of three sections, three pairs of legs, an abdomen, and wings with elytra. The insect's head is small, motionlessly connected to the prothorax and, depending on the species, may be slightly elongated. Ladybug's eyes are relative big size. The antennae, consisting of 8-11 segments, are highly flexible.

Ladybugs fly using their two hind wings. In the process of evolution, the front wings of the ladybug were transformed into hard elytra, which serve as protection for the main pair for the period while the ladybugs are on the ground.

Where do ladybugs live

The distribution range of ladybugs includes all continents globe and that's all climatic zones, with the exception of Antarctica and areas covered with eternal snow.

Some types of ladybugs prefer to inhabit only those plants on which a colony of aphids has developed, others prefer sedge and reeds growing along ponds and rivers as a home, while others need field grasses to survive.

How do ladybugs live?

Regardless of species, ladybugs lead a separate lifestyle, gathering together only for a while mating season, flights or wintering.

All species from the ladybird family are heat-loving insects, so most individuals living in temperate latitudes oh, on the eve of the onset of cold weather they gather in huge flocks and fly away for the winter to countries with warm climate. 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 and very rarely - up to two years; if there is a shortage of food, this period is reduced to several months. Juveniles are always brightly colored, which gradually fades with age.

Nutrition

Among the variety of species of ladybugs, almost all are predators and large quantities eat aphids and mites.

The menu of adult cows is based on sedentary mass insects that are easy to catch: aphids, scale insects, whiteflies and spider mites of the most various types. This preference is not accidental, because cows are very voracious and can eat up to 100-150 mites or aphids daily. Ladybird larvae feed exclusively on aphids, eating up to 60 (if adults) or 300 aphid larvae daily. Over the entire period of development of a ladybug, the number of aphids eaten by it is in the thousands.

Reproduction

Ladybirds reach sexual maturity between 3 and 6 months of life. The breeding season for ladybugs begins in mid-spring. Gaining strength after leaving hibernation or flight, they begin to mate. The male finds the female by the specific smell that she emits during this period. A female ladybug lays eggs on plants near an aphid colony to provide her offspring with a supply of food. Ladybug eggs, attached to the underside of the leaves, are oval in shape with slightly tapered tips. Their surface may have a wrinkled texture and may be yellow, orange or White color. The number of eggs in a clutch reaches 400 pieces. Unfortunately, after the mating season, female ladybirds die.

After 1-2 weeks, variegated oval or flat-shaped ladybug larvae emerge from the laid eggs. The surface of their body may be covered with fine bristles or hairs, and the pattern on the body is formed by a combination of yellow, orange and white spots. In the first days of their life, the larvae eat the shell of the egg from which they hatched, as well as unfertilized eggs or eggs with a dead embryo. Having gained strength, the ladybird larvae begin to destroy aphid colonies.

The larval stage of insect development lasts about 4-7 weeks, after which pupation occurs. The pupa is attached to the plant leaf by the remains of the exoskeleton of the larva. During this period, all body parts characteristic of an insect are formed.
After 7-10 days, a fully formed adult individual emerges from the cocoon.

Types of ladybugs

There are more than 4,000 known species of ladybugs, which are distributed in all parts of the world. Some of them are found on all plants: trees, shrubs or grasses that only have aphids; others live only on field grasses; still others - in meadows adjacent to streams; the fourth - only on trees; finally, some species live on reeds and other aquatic plants; the latter are distinguished by longer legs, which help them stay on plants that bend easily from the wind. Let's look at the most interesting of them.

Two-spot ladybird (lat. Adalia bipunctata)

The two-spot ladybug (lat. Adalia bipunctata) is a beetle with a body length of up to 5 mm, dark red elytra and two large black spots. The prothorax lacks an anterior carina. The pronotum is black and has a yellow lateral border.

Seven-spot ladybird (lat. Coccinella septempunctata)

Ladybug (lat. Coccinellidae) belongs to the family of beetles, a type of arthropod, a class of insects. When a person sees an insect, he involuntarily has a reaction - to slam it as quickly as possible, but the ladybug evokes sympathy in almost everyone, even women. Some remember the children's song associated with it, others remember that it really helps them out at their summer cottage - saving the garden from pests. What is the secret of everyone's sympathy for this beetle? In some cultures it is forbidden to kill a ladybug, and in the Western part it is generally considered a symbol of good luck. Let's consider the characteristics and lifestyle of this insect, as well as the benefits and harms it can bring.

Today, no more than 200 insect formations have been studied on the planet, but the number of species is limitless. The ladybug is a representative of the coccinellid family, has over 4000 types and 360 genera, belongs to the order Coleoptera of the arthropod type. Distinctive feature from other relatives they have seemingly three-part paws. This is due to the small third segment, which is visually hidden with half of the fourth pedicle in the sinus of the bilobed process.

The average size of a ladybug is from 4 mm to 10 mm. The structure of the body is rounded, ovoid, flattened below and convex above. Sometimes the surface is covered with thin fibers. Consists of a head, pronotum, and chest, which is divided into three parts:

• paws;
• abdomen;
• wings with wing covers.

The head is monolithically connected to the prothorax, everything looks like an enlarged cephalothorax. It makes up the main part of the body length, sometimes found in an elongated oval shape. The eyes are relatively large. The antennae are well flexible and consist of 8-11 segments.

Has rigid expressive elytra. Essentially these are the front flight organs. Over time, the ladybug's wings transformed. On earth they perform protective function. With the help of two rear processes, it flies, and it turns out quite well. Interesting fact is that various birds and many vertebrates hesitate to hunt it. They don’t have time to catch it, because the insect makes about 85 strokes per second.

Why is the ladybug called that?

Where it got its name from remains an open question to this day. The scientific terminology is coccinellida, the word itself comes from the Latin meaning "scarlet". Many ethnic groups have their own versions of names, for example:

• among the Germanic peoples - the “Virgin Mary” bug;
• among the Anglo-Saxons - “Lady bird”;
• among the Slavic - “Sun”;
• among Latin Americans - “St. Anthony’s cow”;
• among Asians it is “red-bearded grandfather”.

There are long-standing legends about why the ladybug is called that, let's look at some of them.

She was personified with the heavenly herd of Perun, connected the omnipotent gods and mortal people, and was attributed to her magical abilities influence the weather. The Catholic faith considered her a messenger Mother of God. The British also associate their names with the Virgin Mary.

The ancient Slavs considered her the messenger of the sun. It was impossible to drive away the heavenly creature, so as not to turn away fortune. A beetle that flew into a home was considered to bring peace and grace, so they called it that way - “Sun”. The very word “God’s” symbolized among the Russian ethnic group a trusting believer. The beetle was compared to a harmless creature.

But more likely the word “cow” is associated with physiological feature insect. It secretes milk, but it is far from usual - a red aggressive liquid formed in the spores of the limbs. The discharge is extremely unpleasant and in large quantities is deadly for those who decide to eat it.

Types of ladybugs

The ladybug is not necessarily red, but its coloring is in the form of dots. They may be absent altogether; there may be stripes, patterned spots, or commas on the shell. The most common type is the seven-spotted beetle. It lives almost throughout Europe, its dimensions reach 7 mm, its elytra are burgundy, and there are two spots at the base. light color, one dark one is visible on the pronotum, there are three speckles on the elytra.

They are also divided according to the number of dots and color:

• two-spotted, usually 5mm dark scarlet individuals with 2 large black markings;
• duodenal up to 6 mm, have pinkish elytra, on which 6 pieces are observed;
• thirteen-spotted up to 7mm, with brownish wings;
• fourteen-spotted - with a yellow color and black spots on them or vice versa;
• seventeen-point identical colors measuring from 2.5 to 3.5 mm;
• variable, with a black pronotum with 2 brownish spots, contrasting markings at the base of the yellowish-red elytra;
• blue is found on Australian mainland, have a beautiful tint of blue and green tones;
• white or light gray - up to 15 marks, less common, like brown plain ones.

Bright warning coloration of a ladybug

The ladybug is endowed with bright colors, which help in the struggle for existence and strike fear into enemies, most often birds. This is one example of mimicry, like green color grasshoppers or the ability of a chameleon to merge with environment for the purpose of self-preservation.

Eye-catching colors for nature wild world serve as warning signals about the toxicity and inedibility of the observed prey. There is a theory that the brighter the color of the beetle, the less likely it is to be attacked by enemies. The expressive color of different types of ladybug indicates mortal danger. As individuals age, it fades.

Ladybugs live almost all over the world except northern latitudes. Their life cycle depends on the availability of food. The active stage occurs during the extermination of aphids, the main diet of these insects, i.e. from spring to autumn. They live from a couple of months to one year, and occasionally last up to two.

A solitary lifestyle is acceptable to them; they settle in groups for wintering or for mating. They feel comfortable in open areas with grassy vegetation on:

• the edges of the forest;
• steppes, meadows;
• gardens

In search of food, they crawl through plants, periodically flying over long distances. They do this easily and silently. But as long as an individual lives, it always wakes up early and works all day, destroying pests. She is warm-loving optimal temperature for her it is +10 C, during other periods it is in the winter.

How and where do ladybugs overwinter?

Sedentary varieties of ladybugs gather in large groups sometimes up to millions of individuals. In winter, they look for secluded places, hiding under the remains of falling leaves, dry wood, stones, where they wait for the arrival of warmth. They can fly indoors, hide between window frames, folds of curtains, and arrange nesting sites among trees.

There are species of beetles that fly away in flocks to winter in southern latitudes. IN Lately The features of adaptation to the environment were not only bright colors or toxic liquid released in case of danger. Their group aggregations are becoming more and more observed. This is still inexplicable, but the spectacle is colorful.

If “sleepy colonies” are discovered, do not disturb them. It’s better to think about how many pests will be destroyed in the future. Move them to a comfortable place, having previously collected them in a jar, let them calmly finish their hibernation.

What do ladybugs eat? Are they predators?

Characteristic feature insects of the order Coleoptera are gnawing type oral apparatus. Ladybug has similar anatomical characteristics. Structure digestive system originates from the mouth opening of the head and ends on the abdomen with the anal passage. The intestinal canal runs between them. This allows the insect to consume complex molecular food with a high energy reserve.

Simply put, the coccinellid is a predator; it eats its own kind. Diet preferences are given to:

• spider mites;
• small caterpillars;
• eggs of butterflies, Colorado beetles;
• larvae of insect pests.

There is also a species that feeds plant foods: pollen, flowers and leaves, mycelium, fruits.

Ladybugs reproduce several times a year, in spring or autumn. In temperate latitudes this is the beginning of May. The female becomes sexually mature at the age of 3-6 months. As a rule, after a cold period, she is able to emit a pungent odor that attracts males. After laying eggs it dies.

The female places eggs on vegetation with an abundance of aphids, which provides advance food for future offspring. They have an elongated shape, narrowed towards the end, and are colored yellowish-orange. One clutch can number from several to 400 pieces, arranged in even rows, close to each other. Sometimes they can be eaten by their own relatives, the so-called cannibal larvae.

Ladybug larvae - what do they look like?

Further development occurs over 4-7 days and has several stages. The larvae are oval in appearance. They look colorful due to yellow-orange spots that form a certain pattern. Body surface with bristles, peculiar outgrowths. Newborn ladybugs that feed on scale insects are covered with whitish, waxy threads. Everything grows in 2-4 weeks.

After this stage the moment of pupation occurs. To move into it, the individual attaches the back of the body to the leaf plate and curls into a semi-bent position. At the end of the internal transformation, the skins peel off from the pupa, sliding like a stocking to the end of the abdomen. She doesn't lose bright color with black and yellow specks. Next, from 7 to 10 days, an adult is formed.

The benefits and harms of ladybug

The boundless gluttony of this predatory beetle brings great benefits to homesteads and agricultural crops, because it eats aphids. While in the larval stage, the coccinellid consumes up to 50 prey per day. An adult insect eats up to 100 aphids. They help plants by clearing crops of pests. Therefore, they are even bred at specialized enterprises, and then distributed over the fields with the help of aviation.

But harm can be caused by herbivorous species of these beetles; their habitats are in Asia. There they cause significant damage to crops. In our area, some harm vegetables: potatoes, sugar beets, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Enemies of ladybugs

How many species of ladybugs, numbering thousands, would not exist; the insect has long been placed on the pages of the Red Book of not only Russia, but also the planet. They don't have many enemies. Birds, frogs, and lizards try to eat them, but their innate effective defenses prevent them from becoming food for many.

Indirect factors of extinction are human impact on natural environment. There is a massive destruction of aphids, on whose populations the existence of the beetle depends. General environmental pollution is also destructive for all animals.

The ladybug is an ancient insect. This is not the only reason why the law protects it from extermination. Mass extinctions will lead to a deterioration in the condition of not only cultivated vegetation, but also the entire nature. To maintain balance, humanity needs to be more attentive to this problem.