In various countries, this bug is called differently, but in his name there is always a deep respect of the people for a small insect. In England it is called the "lady bug", in Ukraine - the "sun", and in Russia and, by the way, in France, too - the "ladybug". Why a ladybug? Probably because the bug, when frightened, secretes hemolymph from the joints of the paws, a whitish substance similar in appearance (but not to taste!) To milk. And she is called God because of the enormous benefits that she brings to our gardens, vineyards and vegetable gardens. Have you ever wondered what ladybugs eat?
Here she slowly crawls on a blade of grass: red, like a half of a varnished ball, with seven black dots on the wings ... Stop! In fact, there are about four and a half thousand species of ladybugs around the world. And they are not only red seven-point, but also yellow, white, black, orange. They are found on all continents, where there is at least some vegetation. There is a meadow and field ladybug, one that lives on trees, and even one that loves to live on aquatic plants. But the gastronomic preferences of the whole vast kingdom of "suns" are almost the same - they are soft insects.
There are, of course, harmful “suns,” and the usual ladybug on a sultry summer day would not mind quenching thirst by chewing a juicy leaf. However, such harm is incomparable with the benefits that the bug brings to farmers. To trace what the ladybug eats, you need to arm yourself with a magnifying glass. It is hard to believe that this cute bug is a terrible and voracious predator, because it has a low speed of movement and there are no capture tools, such as for mantis. But the “sun” does not need this, because its production is even slower and completely defenseless.
What do ladybugs eat? Their main diet is aphids and its larvae. The “sun” does not disdain the worm, whitefly, spider mite, small caterpillars, scale insects, herbivorous bugs and larvae of Colorado beetles. At the same time, the insect shows remarkable appetite: in one day, one bug eats 150-200 adult aphids or 300-400 larvae. This tireless predator can even bury itself in the ground to get to the aphids parasitizing on roots. For this quality - gluttony and the ability to search for prey - experienced farmers also love it. Previously, peasants living in the foothills went to the mountains at the end of winter in search of winter ladybugs, gathered them in bags, and when the sun warmed, they released them on their lands. During the years of Soviet power, bugs were "sprayed" over collective farm fields and vineyards, dropping them from cornplanes. Unfortunately, this practice is now forgotten, and pest control is under way with chemicals or GMOs.
What do ladybugs eat in winter? This migratory insect with the first night frost begins to migrate to the mountains. There it creeps into cracks and crevices of rocks. So many flock to their wintering places that they cover the stones with a red pattern. Sometimes in one place accumulates up to several million individuals. In cramped conditions, but not in insult: the more bugs cram into a tiny gap, the more chances to survive the severe mountain frosts. As soon as the big sun begins to warm the stones, small “suns” wake up from hibernation and fly out. Having bitten a little on the young grass, the bugs lay their eggs not far from a large colony of aphids to provide their barely hatched offspring with food. The number of eggs depends on the nutrition of the mother. In clutch there are from two hundred to four hundred eggs.
After 5-8 days, small larvae appear from them. What do ladybugs eat in their childhood, which lasts about twenty days? First, neighboring eggs, of which no one has hatched, to stock up on nutrients until the larva finds its main food - eggs, larvae or adult aphids. Moreover, in their searches, the young “suns” are very patient and methodical - after all, they do not have wings, like adults, to fly to places with a better food base, and they tirelessly, meter by meter, examine the space around them.