Ladybugs were one of the first insects I was fascinated with as a child – I could sit for hours observing them, counting the number of spots they had, and letting them crawl across my fingers and hands.
In fact, I dressed up like a ladybug for Halloween for just about every year I was a kid! These little beetles were a big part of my childhood – not only in my memories but in my garden, too.
So what does a ladybug eat? Aphids, right? Well, yes – aphids are a ladybug’s favorite food, but they also eat many other insects!
This article is going to cover everything you need to know about ladybugs: including what do ladybugs eat, how do ladybugs help organic gardeners, their lifecycle, how to attract ladybugs into your garden, and finally how to conserve ladybugs.
Let’s learn what else we can discover about these wonderful creatures, Ladybug and their diets!
What Is A Ladybug?
A ladybug is a common small beetle from the family Coccinellidae. Worldwide, over 6,000 species of lady bugs are known. However, here in the UK, ladypins have the common name ladybird.
Ladybugs are small, red beetles covered in black spots. These distinctive features on their bodies serve to protect them from would-be predators as an alert called aposematism, so animals may avoid them by seeing their bright colours.
There are many species of ladybugs and many colour variations among them. Colours of lady bugs include yellow, red, or brown with black spots.
Ladybugs show sexual dimorphism, which means that females may differ significantly from males. For instance, larger females are often very different in appearance compared to smaller males.
Ladybug Diet: What Do They Eat?
The ladybug is an insect that likes to eat aphids. A single ladybug can eat as many as 60 aphids per day!
Although ladybugs are regarded as carnivorous predators, there are many species of ladybugs that are Euomnomous insectivores and will also eat many other types of food. The main type of food for ladybugs are insects, including:
- Aphids
- Scale insects
- Mites
- Whiteflies
- Caterpillars
- Beetle larvae
- Insect eggs
- Nymphs
- And more!
What else do ladybugs eat, apart from aphids? They also love eating plant matter, as well! The ladybugs have many favorite things to eat.
- Fruit, such as
- Berries
- Figs
- Nectarines
- Peaches
- Grapes
- Plums
- Nectar
- Pollen
Do Ladybugs Eat Ants?
A frequently asked question among many is do ladybugs eat ants? The answer is no. Strangely enough, the reverse is true. Ants will attack ladybugs and eat them. They do this to protect aphids.
This is because ants and aphids have become buddies, a friendship developed over time. In Nature, this is known as a symbiotic relationship.
In this instance, it is a simple barter of food for shelter. The aphids produce a sap somewhat like sugar which the ants eat. In return, the ants protect their aphids from ladybugs. To do this, the ants attack and will kill ladybugs!
Why Are Ladybugs Beneficial For Your Garden?
Ladybugs are an iconic garden insect that gives a little dose of whimsy to the garden space. Having this insect buzzing about helps enable the mitigation of garden pests like aphids.
The ladybug’s role within the ecosystem is both predator and prey, as they in turn are eaten by other insects and birds. In creating a garden space that works to support ladybugs you’re creating a biodiversity hotspot for all kinds of beneficial bugs.
Ladybugs are an indicator species of healthy ecosystems. They are also an important pollinator species.
They are used as biological mitigation for aphids an excellent thing for organic gardening. Some species are ‘bred’ on ladybug farms for sale to organic farmers and their proximity to aphids and other sap-sucking insects are a big part of the mitigation game plan.
Tips For Using Ladybugs In Your Garden
How Ladybugs Are Used In Organic Gardening
Ladybugs are a form of biological control used in sustainable gardening. They are specifically used in the mitigation of aphid populations.
Aphids are a major pest for any gardener. For flower farmers, they’re particularly annoying, and are irresistibly attracted to the coveted flower ranunculus. Flower farmers will spend hours picking and blowing aphids off these extravagant blooms!
One way that really helps to control aphid populations is by releasing ladybugs. You can even buy commercially sold ladybugs to release in your garden to help control aphid populations.
Here are some of my top tips to help guarantee a higher success rate for ladybugs eating aphids.
Use Row Cover
Ladybugs can be flighty if not contained properly. Release them into a greenhouse and under garden row cover. This way, by having them on your plants, you can keep them in place to begin munching the aphids!
Release Your Ladybugs At Night
For maximum success in feeding ladybugs you should release them at night as ladybugs typically don’t have any reason to fly around and search for food until daytime. Therefore, a nighttime release will allow your ladybugs to remain in one place until daytime arrives.
Conserving Native Ladybug Populations
Threats
Ladybug populations have decreased due to habitat loss, climate change, and of course invasive species. Invasive species of ladybugs is particularly damaging these ladybugs will eat other ladybugs and generally outcompete them for other resources.
Conservation Tips
Go Organic
Going organic in the garden is not only great for ladybugs, but also for all plants and animals. Pesticides poison ladybugs and if you are spraying your plants, you are harming the ladybug population. Creating an eco-friendly garden is an easy way to help ladybugs.
Plant Native Plants
Ladybugs are a big fan of native plants. If you plant native plants, you can attract many types of insects to be eaten by ladybugs! By planting native plants, you also create a diverse landscape that will provide benefits to all birds and beneficial insects.
How To Attract And Keep Ladybugs In Your Garden
The way to create a beneficial ladybug habitat is to provide food for your ladybug population, as well as an overwintering area for your ladybugs.
Plants That Attract Ladybugs
When you plant native plants and herbs, it creates an environment where ladybugs can find food (aphids) and lay their eggs. Here are my recommendations of some plants.
- Yarrow
- Feverfew
- Marigold
- Calendula
- Sunflower
- Sweet alyssum
- Dill
- Fennel
- Angelia
- Bugleweed
- Cosmos
- Chives
- Caraway
- Dandelions
Provide Shelter & Overwintering Habitat
Providing ladybugs with sheltered areas and other habitat features for overwintering habitat is very helpful for attracting and keeping ladybugs in your garden.
There are a few simple natural habitat features you can add in your garden to help ladybugs: piles of leaf litter over winter; adding rotting logs in your garden space.
Man-made additions like bug hotels can provide fun and educational resources for kids to learn how to attract ladybugs to your garden. Let’s learn some more details about these fascinating little creatures.
Ladybug Anatomy And Feeding Adaptations
Overview Of Ladybug Anatomy
Ladybugs are small beetles with three main anatomical segments. These parts include:
- Head, including
- Mouth
- Antenna
- Compound eyes
- Abdomen
- Thorax
The abdomen of the ladybug contains organs for digesting food as well as those for reproduction and respiration.
This is because these little insects have no noses! They breathe oxygen through openings called, spiracles, which are found in the abdomen and the thorax.
The thorax contains the segments for legs and wings. The ladybug has two sets of wings, the first set forms a pair of elytra. These wring over the wings used to fly and in ladybugs they are hard and leathery.
This set have the ladybugs’ characteristic spots on them. The second set are the actual flight wings and are very delicate.
Specialized Mouthparts For Eating Insects
Ladybug mouths are highly adapted to their lifestyles. Their mouths are made up of lips (the upper labrum and the lower labium) and have saw-like serrated, pinching jaws which can chew and grasp on to their prey. They also have maxillary palps to sense and taste food.
The Ladybug Life Cycle: From Egg To Beneficial Insect
Stages Of Development
The typical life cycle of a ladybug is approximately two years. The lifecylce includes:
- Egg
- Larvae
- Pupa
- Adult
The adult stage of development last up to 1 year, although the stages can be different within types of ladybugs. Climate is also an important factor in the stages of development. In temperate climates ladybugs survive the winter by hibernating.
Eggs
Males possess large sperm packets, each containing up to 14,000 sperm. During mating, three of these packets are attached to a female. Mature females will ideally lay their eggs where mealybugs, scale insects, or aphids have infested.
These are yellow and are laid in a mass. Some species of ladybug lay thousands of eggs in a lifetime. These take up to 8 days to hatch.
Larvae
Once the ladybug larvae emerge from their eggs, they begin immediate feeding consuming as many pests they can get their mouths on, until they pupate. Some ladybug larvae are cannibalistic feeding on other ladybug eggs after they hatch.
Due to this, females are known to lay fertilized eggs merely to provide larvae with an extra food source. The larval stage lasts approximately 3 weeks.
Ladybug larvae do not resemble a ladybug in any form they are spiny, black, and spotted. The larvae go through on average three separate molts.
Pupa
Ladybugs then form into a pupa to change to the last and final stage of adulthood. They begin the pupation process on the leaves of plants.
It is during this stage that they grow their wings, shelled back, and form their full adult form. This stage of development can take about 7- 10 days.
Adult
Once the pupa has changed to an adult ladybug it is all a case of mating and eating! An adult can live as long as one year and they pass the winter hibernation in large companies.
The season at which each species mates varies and depends on climate. In temperate climates the union is continuously going on during the spring and summer months and in one season of the year several generations will be hatched.
In warmer climates lady bugs are bred through the spring, fall and winter. In the tropics they breed in the rainy season.
Ladybug Geographical Range & Habitat
Ladybugs have a wide geographical distribution! They are found all over the world in temperate and tropical regions.
Ladybugs also migrate. They go back and forth from breeding grounds to where they will go into hibernation or dormancy.
Ladybug Habitat
Ladybugs inhabit a variety of environments. Typical habitats for ladybugs include ecosystems like:
- Grasslands
- Wildflower meadows
- Woodlands
- Wetlands
- Forests
- Gardens
- Parks
- Fields
- Hedgerows
I have even seen congregations of ladybugs on the beach alongside the sea.
Lucky they have places to go to be protected from predators, to seek food or hibernate. They will use logs, sheds, trees etc to be sheltered.
Hibernation And Nesting Habits
As the colder weather approaches in temperate climates, the ladybugs make their whereabout to some warm dry spot where they can pass the winter. They congregate under leaves, rocks, or cracks in sheds or in houses.
They continue to live in congregated state until spring. The tropical species, however, enter partly into a condition of dormancy during the dry season.
When Are Ladybugs Most Active?
Ladybugs are most active from spring through the fall—that’s when you’re most likely to see them in the garden. They spend that time mating, eating, and going through their stages of development.
You’re most likely to see them flying throughout the day and easily recognized and noticed during their adult stage of development.