Ladybirds

Ladybirds Feeding on Aphids

Ladybirds must be the most known beetles. They not only stick out in the garden with their distinctive brilliant colouring, but also in our childhood we are told stories that feature them. The name ladybird comes from the beetle's ancient linkage with the Virgin Mary, as the beetle of Our Lady.

There are over twenty species found in the UK. They vary in colour, size and number of spots. The species that typifies the ladybird in the publics' thoughts, is the seven spotted ladybird, with its famous red colouring and black spots.

Ladybirds are a most welcome visitor to the garden, with their rapacious appetite for aphids.

Their bright red colouring makes them easily seen by potential predators. It is a warning colour, advertising to predators that they are distasteful. As for other insects with similar warning colours, they are only eaten once by young predators. After this, other ladybirds are given a wide berth.

NOTE If you pick up a ladybird it can become irritated and produce droplets of awful smelling liquid, the same substance which make them distasteful. One has to be cautious, as ladybirds can bite.

Life Cycle

Ladybirds lay their eggs on the underside of leaves, of plants that are infested with aphids. The aphids provide a ready supply for the fast growing larvae that emerge from the eggs. The larvae are required to shed their skins as they grow. These discarded skins are commonly seen on the underside of leaves.

The larva’s final moult is into a pupa, from which an adult emerges within a week. Adults feed during the summer and hibernate throughout the winter, emerging in spring to restart the cycle.

Larvae of Ladybird 

Adult Ladybird 

Common Garden Ladybird Species

Seven Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7 punctata

A red ladybird with three black spots on each wing case, plus one shared across both cases.

Two Spot Ladybird Adalia bipunctata

A red ladybird with two black spots.

NOTE Identification of species is not always straightforward as the colouration and markings vary. The ladybird species above are not always red, they can be black or yellow. The spots may differ in colour and can even vary in number.