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Becoming a Lady: Ladybug Life Cycle and Mating

November 18th, 2009 Posted in Beetles & Ladybugs

When late spring rolls around the air is a buzz with the scent of flowers, the songs of birds, and a whole bunch of ladybugs. But how do ladybugs come to inhabit your garden?

This article will explore:

• The Beginning
• Growing Up
• The Adult Stage
• Ladybug Benefits

The Beginning

Ladybugs are similar to butterflies in that they go through four life stages.

The life cycle of a ladybug begins with a female ladybug laying eggs. A female ladybug will generally lay between 10 and 15 eggs at a time. She usually lays the eggs on the underside of a leaf so that they are protected from predators.

The female ladybug will also try to lay the eggs near somewhere with a lot of aphids. Aphids are the main source of food for ladybugs in even their youngest stages, so the female will try her hardest to make food readily available for when the eggs hatch. Ladybugs are unique in that they will lay different amount of eggs depending on the conditions. If conditions are harsh (aka bad weather and low food source) the female ladybug will lay more, infertile eggs. That way, when the eggs that do survive hatch, they have a ready food source (the unhatched eggs) if they can’t find aphids.

Ladybug eggs will hatch relatively quickly, within 3 to 5 days.

Growing Up

When ladybug eggs hatch, they enter the larvae stage.

Ladybug larvae are extremely tiny, only about 1/8 of an inch. Their main goal is to eat as much as they possibly can. A ladybug in the larvae stage can consume up to 25 aphids a day.

Ladybug larvae are rather odd looking. The larvae stage has several sub stages, and the ladybug will look different in each sub stage. In the beginning, the ladybug will be small and yellow-ish green in color. It will then morph into what is usually described as a mini crocodile. It is small and black with orange markings and has a scaly appearance.

After a ladybug completes the larvae stage, it will become a pupa. A pupa looks a bit like a little orange-ish yellow shrimp. The larvae will attach itself to the stem of a plant and then basically split in half, revealing the pupa underneath. This stage is when the ladybug is at its most vulnerable to predators. Luckily, the pupa stage doesn’t last longer than a few days.

The Adult Stage

After the ladybug completes the pupa stage, it emerges as an adult ladybug.

The pupa splits to reveal an adult ladybug. Like other insects, when the ladybug first emerges it doesn’t look like the red and black spotted ladybug we know so well. While it waits for its exoskeleton and elytra to harden, the ladybug will be pale and pink. For about 24 hours, the ladybug will allow itself to dry and become harder. Then, it will look for its first big meal. An adult ladybug can consume about 50 aphids a day.

Ladybugs have several survival tactics. First, their color. Ladybugs range from orange-ish yellow to a deep scarlet. These colors warn off predators by making them think that ladybugs won’t taste good and might even be poisonous. They can also play dead in a much more convincing way than your dog can! They lie on their backs with all 6 legs up and excrete a small amount of yellow blood that smells awful to predators. Talk about a convincing actress!

Ladybugs also have an elytra, which is sort of fake wings to protect the actual hind wings. This ensures that the ladybug can fly for its full lifetime, which usually doesn’t last longer than 9 months.

Ladybug Benefits

Ladybugs are an extremely beneficial insect. They feed on aphids in mass quantities. Aphids are harmful to plants because they eat away at the sugary parts of the stem, which kills plants over time.

As previously mentioned, a single adult ladybug can eat up to 50 aphids a day. This usually results in a ladybug eating around 5,000 aphids in its lifetime. And the best part? Ladybugs don’t harm plants at all. They are predatory and stick to eating aphids, and when they can’t find aphids, eggs of other insects.

For hundreds of years, people have been aware of the benefits of having ladybugs in the garden. In fact, ladybugs got their name in the Middle Ages when people though they were a gift from the Virgin Mary to protect gardens.





Ladybugs are beneficial in your garden and won’t harm you, but they can be pesky if they end up in your home. If you have a ladybug problem, try spraying around the outside of doors and windows with an insecticide. EcoSMART Flying Insect Killer is effective in warding of ladybugs and is safe for the environment and your family!