17 Ladybugs Facts for Kids

We all know a ladybug when we see it. Round, red, with black spots. But what else do we really know about these recognizable bugs? Here, we will tell you lots of true facts when it comes to ladybugs. We will let you in on their lives, habits, habitats, diets, and much more. You might just learn something about ladybugs.

1. In North America, most ladybugs have 7 spots on their backs. However, the number of spots can vary from species to species.

2. You can found over 5,000 different types of ladybugs in the world!

3. Ladybugs can also come in other colors. They are brightly colored and marked so that other animals will know to not eat then due to their unpleasant taste.

4. One of the reasons ladybugs taste foul is because they can actually secrete a particular type of oily, smelly, gross tasting liquid from their legs.

5. In the winter time, ladybugs hibernate, just like beers. Except they sleep in secluded areas in large colonies.

6. Aphids are the main food of ladybugs. In many parts of the world (like Europe and the US) ladybugs were actually introduced to eat aphids, which destroy crops. Just one ladybug can eat hundreds of aphids a week.

7. Ladybugs live in temperate, tropical, and subtropical climates. They are not very fond of cold weather, however.

8. In the US, you are most likely to find ladybugs out and about from the early spring to the late fall.

9. Instead of moving up and down to chew, the mouth of the ladybug moves from side to side when it is chewing food.

10. Like most insects, ladybugs hatch from very tiny eggs. They emerge from eggs are larvae. Next, they transform into pupa, sort of like a tiny cocoon. Adult ladybugs come from the pupa. The entire process takes half a month.

11. Much like a cat, a ladybug uses its front two legs to clean the area including the head and antennae.

12. You can tell how old a ladybug is by how prominent their spots are. When ladybugs get older, their spots begin to fade.

13. When flying, a ladybug can travel fifteen miles per hour, and move their wings 85 times per minute.

14. Females can lay up to a thousand eggs at one time.

15. In the wild, a ladybug can live up to three years.

16. Some cultures see ladybugs as a symbol for good luck.

17. Despite their names, there are also male ladybugs.