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Ladybugs, also known as lady beetles or ladybird beetles, are beneficial insects. These rotund little beetles are harmless to plants but voracious eaters of soft-bodied insects such as aphids, scale insects and mealybugs. Often gardeners release them as a natural biological control for insect pests. Wing covers of most ladybug species are covered with characteristic color patterns. Ladybugs live longer than one year and in the fall they gather in protected places to hibernate. Sometimes they make their way into homes, annoying homeowners, but unlike cockroaches that eat and make messes, ladybugs sleep and live off their own stored body fat. Almost 500 species live in a variety of habitats in North America.
Image and text copyright © Dennis Kunkel. All rights reserved. |
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