The ecosystem is a beautiful artform created by nature.Nowadays, people respect the concept of the ecosystem and are implementing it in their gardens. To recreate this beauty and help the plant population, we also need garden helpers like pest-eating ladybugs, pollinating bees, and other beneficial insects and birds.Our garden is a ladybug’s natural habitat. The majority of the ladybug’s life cycle takes place outdoors, among plants. Ladybugs, adults as well as larvae, contribute to the garden ecosystem with pest control action.Ladybugs are predators to tiny insects that feed on plant sap. This process alone impacts the garden ecosystem greatly. It helps gardeners and farmers grow plants naturally without having to resort to chemical pesticide usage. So, many farm owners raise and breed ladybugs in their farms along with plants. Ladybugs also help in pollination, though not as significantly as bees and butterflies do. Like this, everything in nature has its reason and purpose. For example, the natural food chain system provides ecological balance by preventing overpopulation or species extinction. Ladybugs, named in honor of the Virgin Mary as ‘The beetles of our lady,’ for having saved grapevines from pests some 500 years ago, are an important part of this nature. So, let’s learn more about these beautiful creatures and their baby stages.Has this article gotten you curious about other insects and their life cycle? Check out our other recommendations: dragonfly larvae and insects’ larva.What is a ladybug larva called?Scientifically called Coccinellidae, ladybugs are not really bugs but are more like beetles. Hence, they are also named ladybirds, ladybird beetles, or simply lady beetles. Like any other living form, ladybugs also grow up in different stages. The form these insects take after hatching from their eggs is called the larva.The main difference between a ladybug and its larva is the physical appearance. While the larva of a ladybug looks like a tiny alligator, the adult has a cute, hemispherical body. Larvae have three pairs of legs that carry them around. An adult ladybug has two sets of wings, one of which helps the insect fly, in addition to six legs. While a larva is a stage in a ladybug’s life, larvae don’t have a special name that they go by. They are simply called larva or ladybug larva or ladybird larva or ladybeetle larva and occasionally ladybug nymphs.There are nearly 5,000 different species of ladybugs. Each species has a different appearance, characteristic, and food preference. Naturally, larvae of different ladybug species look and act differently. The most common ladybugs are the seven spotted ladybugs. They have a red shell with seven black spots and a black and white head. The seven spotted ladybug larvae are black with tiny rows of spines along the body. They also have three or four pairs of orange or yellow colored markings on their abdomen. The Harlequin ladybird or the Asian lady beetle commonly has an orange or red body with 22 black spots. Asian ladybug larvae are gray to black in color with two orange vertical stripes. Two spotted and 14 spotted ladybugs are two other species. Both have gray larva with yellow-white patches and hair-like spikes.The orange ladybug species is pale orange with 14-16 cream colored spots. Orange ladybug larvae have a cream body that is streaked with yellow patches and black spots. These ladybugs feed on plant fungus. Kidney spot ladybugs have a shiny black shell with two kidney-shaped red spots. Kidney spot lady beetle larvae look rather intimidating with a full black body and long bristles. 22 spotted adult ladybugs have a striking yellow body with black spots, and larvae look similar with a long yellow-cream body with black spots. The larva of 24 spotted ladybugs is light greenish-gray and has several branched spikes on its body. The pine ladybird larva has a purple grayish body with gray patterns and short bristles. Pink spotted ladybugs have 12-spotted deep pink hard wings. Their larva has a long, spiky, black body with yellow-orange patches. These are a few ladybug species and their larvae, and there are many more of them out in the world.Ladybug Larvae StagesThe ladybug life cycle takes place in four stages: eggs, larvae, pupae, and adult ladybugs. During winter, ladybugs hide in clusters to survive the cold. As spring comes, these insects come out of hiding and start feeding. After they have fed and grown in size, adult ladybugs start mating. They reproduce from the start of spring through summer months. After mating, the female ladybug looks for a safe place with abundant prey food to lay her eggs. Ladybugs usually lay eggs on the underside of leaves to protect them from weather conditions and to keep them hidden from predators. The female ladybug also selects leaves nearer to prey clusters, like an aphid colony, to lay eggs so that larvae that come from hatched eggs can feed on them. Ladybugs lay eggs in clusters of 10 ranging up to 50. A ladybug can lay as many as 1,000 eggs during one season, all of which may not be fertile. Infertile eggs that do not hatch are called trophy eggs, which larvae later feed on. Ladybug eggs are bright yellow and are sticky so that they can latch onto the underside of leaves. It takes 2-10 days for eggs to develop into larvae.Ladybug eggs are the first stage of the ladybug life cycle, followed by the second stage, the larva. Ladybug larvae are small, alligator-like creatures that can only crawl, as this stage does not have wings. They have six legs and a long body with soft spikes. They are generally black with bright spots or stripes on them. The only thing on the minds of ladybug larvae is food. They have large appetites, and they search for prey and keep eating to grow into pupae. Larvae molt their skin as they grow. The stage of larvae in between molting is called the instar. Ladybug larvae generally have four instar stages, as they molt four times before pupating. Ladybug larvae spend nearly two weeks to four weeks in this stage, depending on their food availability and their species. When the larva grows big enough, it selects a spot and attaches itself to a leaf. The larva stops eating and moving and eventually enters the third stage, the pupa. The food the ladybug consumes in its larva stage is enough to sustain it in the pupal stage. The pupa remains stationary as it transforms from a soft-bodied larval to a hard-shelled lady beetle through metamorphosis. Ladybugs pupate for 3-14 days.After this time, the pupa’s outer layer breaks, and a soft-bodied adult ladybug emerges. This is the final stage of the ladybug life cycle. The ladybug that comes out of the pupa stage has a soft shell and temporary translucent coloration. It takes a few hours for the shell to harden and vivid colors and spots to appear on the ladybug’s shell. The shell color and pattern differ for different species of ladybugs. Adult lady beetles live for up to a year or two, depending on the weather, food availability, and predators. These are all the things you need to know about the ladybug life cycle.What do ladybug larvae eat?Ladybugs are omnivore insects. They feed on other smaller insects like aphids, mites, and mealybugs, as well as plant pollens and mildew. Most ladybugs also feed on eggs and larvae of some insects. Some rare species are herbivores. These ladybugs feed on plant substances and fungi.Ladybug larvae have similar food preferences to that of adults. As soon as ladybug eggs hatch, larvae with voracious appetites emerge. They instantly search for food and eat shells of the egg they’ve hatched out of. Ladybug larvae also feed on infertile eggs, or trophy eggs, present in its cluster. When ladybug larvae feed on this immediate food, they gain enough strength to go in search of other food. As the adult ladybug lays her eggs with this in mind, food for ladybug larvae is present nearby in the form of small insects that are plant pests. The aphid is a garden pest that feeds on the sap from plants. These lady beetles lay their eggs mostly near an aphid colony, so hungry larvae have plenty to feed on. It is said that a ladybug larva feeds on 300 to 400 aphids before it can pupate.Other than aphids, ladybug larvae are also predators to other small soft-bodied insects like mites, thrips, adelgids, mealybugs, and other scale insects. Ladybug larvae also feed on other insect eggs. As the only purpose for ladybug larvae is to eat as much as they can and grow as fast as they can, they have an appetite larger than that of adult ladybugs. These nymphs, which look like tiny alligators, use their six legs to move around in search of prey and are not picky eaters. They eat most soft-bodied insects, garden pests that are smaller than them, and eggs and larvae of other insects. Ladybug larvae also feed on pollen and mildew. Ladybug larvae also require water or moisture content to survive. While the things mentioned above are the general menu for ladybug larvae, different species of ladybug larvae may feed on different things. There are some plant-eating varieties of ladybugs too.How do you get rid of ladybug larvae?Ladybugs are dubbed as beneficial insects, as they help to rid our garden of plant-sucking pests like aphids and mites by feeding on them. Larvae of ladybugs are no different. They start feeding on aphid colonies as soon as they emerge from eggs. Though they are vicious predators to aphids, ladybugs and their larvae are harmless to humans. Most ladybug larvae don’t bite people, and the species does not cause any significant harm. They don’t leave any venom when biting, so the pain is also short-lived. Hence, the general image of this tiny insect is adorable and happy. They are even believed to bring good luck. Most people welcome ladybugs into their gardens. So, why would one want to be rid of this beautiful insect or its larva? In some cases, when ladybugs run out of pests to feed on, they start attacking plants. Also, some species like Asian ladybugs are known to invade our houses. Some other species of ladybugs are known to feed on plants. There is a risk of our homes becoming a ladybug habitat during winter months, irrespective of the species. In these cases, we have little choice but to get rid of this cute insect and its larva.Ladybugs don’t usually lay eggs indoors, so larvae are also mostly found in our garden only. One way to be rid of them is to get rid of ladybug larvae food, the aphid cluster. If there is no food to eat, ladybugs won’t lay eggs in your garden, nor will you find ladybug larvae. Aphids can be removed by pouring cold water on your plants and washing aphids away or spraying them with insecticidal oils like neem oil. Another way to remove ladybug larvae from your garden is by spraying your plants with a vegetable oil and soap solution. This will cause ladybug larvae to suffocate and die. Another method to rid your garden of baby ladybugs is to spray insect repellents or pesticides. But, these solutions may contain chemical substances, which some people like to avoid using. Releasing wasps that feed on other insects can also do the trick. Parasitoid wasps are known to feed on ladybug larva. These are some methods to get rid of ladybug larvae present in our gardens. In the rare cases that they infest your house, they can be removed by thoroughly vacuuming your house.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ladybug larvae, then why not take a look at cockroach larvae or ladybug facts.
The ecosystem is a beautiful artform created by nature.
