Coccinellidae   Coca what?



Coccinellidae is the technical name for a ladybug. Coccinellidae means little sphere. They are also known as ladybird or lady beetle. Ladybugs are probably the only insect in the world that isn't met with a grossed out response. Everyone loves ladybugs. Some beetles are mistaken for ladybugs. One that is often confused with a ladybug is a tortoise beetle seen here.



They are quite the useful little bug. As a natural pest control they eat other bugs in your garden. Their favorite meal is aphids.


Mmmm lunch..

Farmers buy them by the gallons to ward off potential pests eating their crops.

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Interesting thing these little ladies. They are brightly colored for a reason. It's to deter predators. Most predators see bright colors as poisonous or bad tasting. Often times these colors are orange, yellow, red and black. Funny thing they are actually poisonous to lizards and birds. We could eat a couple hundred  of them before we felt sick. We would probably have to eat quite a bit to have any real damage. Now your thinking who would want to eat a ladybug? Well, there have been stranger things that have happened.

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Lady love! Lady love! When you think about ladybugs doing deed. Ok ok, so you don't think about that. You have to wonder how do they with those big round shells. Well here's the answer. Go on you you want to look.

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You pervs! How could you?



Ok, moving on, Most people think ladybugs start out as this cute little red and black adorable bug but, they don't. They start out quite ugly so far from what we know as ladybugs that you probably have seen them and didn't even realize it. Pretty surprising how they start out.

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Really only a mother could love these guys.



Amazing isn't it?

There are several different varieties of ladybugs. Some aren't even red they are yellow or white with black, even solid red.

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Surprising facts about lady bugs.

They only live for about a total of 6-7 weeks.
They can eat 5000 aphids in their lifetime.
They can actually bite and you feel it.
You can actually buy ladybugs here  
There are over 4000 species worldwide of this interesting little beetle.   Yes, really.

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Ladies in flight. Here are some excellent shots of them taking to flight.

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All information below was provided from Celticbug.com
provided this wonderful link!
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So you are probably wondering how did the name ladybug come about.


Legends vary about how the Ladybug came to be named, but the most common (and enduring) is this:   In Europe, during the Middle Ages, swarms of insects were destroying the crops.  The farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary for help.  Soon thereafter the Ladybugs came, devouring the plant-destroying pests and saving the crops!  The farmers called these beautiful insects "The Beetles of Our Lady", and - over time - they eventually became popularly known as "Lady Beetles".  The red wings were said to represent the Virgin's cloak and the black spots were symbolic of both her joys and her sorrows.


    Nearly ALL cultures believe that a Ladybug is lucky.
    Killing one is said to bring sadness and misfortune.

    In France, if a Ladybug landed on you, whatever ailment
    you had would fly away with the Ladybug.

    If a Ladybug is held in the hand while making a wish,
    the direction that it flies away to shows where
    your luck will come from.

    If the spots on the wings of a Ladybug are more than seven,
    it's a sign of coming famine.  If less than seven, it means
    you will have a good harvest.

    In Belgium, people believed that if a Ladybug crawled across
    a young girl's hand, she would be married within a year.

    People in Switzerland told their young children
    that they were brought to them, as babies, by Ladybugs.
    (...and we thought Storks did that)!

    In some Asian cultures, it is believed that the Ladybug understands
    human language, and has been blessed by God, Himself.

    In Brussels, the black spots on the back of a Ladybug indicate to the
    person holding it how many children he/she will have.

    According to a Norse legend, the Ladybug came to earth
    riding on a bolt of lightning.

    The Victorians in Britain believed that if a Ladybug alighted on your
    hand, you would be receiving new gloves.....if it landed on your head,
    a new hat would be in your future, and so on.

    In the 1800's, some doctors used Ladybugs to treat measles!  They
    also believed that if you mashed ladybugs (ewww!) and put them
    into a cavity, the insects would stop a toothache!

    Folklore suggests if you catch a Ladybug in your home, count the number
    of spots and that's how many dollars you'll soon find.

    In Norway, if a man and a woman spot a Ladybug at the same time,
    there will be a romance between them.


There is a Club here for ladybug lovers. Check them out!



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Well folks that's all for this journey. As always I hope you enjoyed it.
Ladybugs are so cute and everyone loves them.


Would you like to suggest a journey?
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Want to see past journeys?

Crazy about cats
Macro Madness
Who nose
DeviantART Exposed!  
Oh baby!



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Till next time...