What Do Ladybugs Need to Live?

Ladybugs can be beneficial to your home and garden.

Ladybugs, sometimes called ladybirds or lady beetles, are the natural enemies to many insects and need to feed on them to survive. In the early stages of their lives, ladybugs need a source of water. As they grow, the water source comes from eating insect larvae. Ladybugs can live in a variety of places and climates, but must find shelter in the cold seasons.

Food

Ladybugs are predators. They eat other insects, mainly aphids, most of which are considered pests to crops and plants. The ladybug is considered a voracious eater and must eat many aphids to lay eggs, sometimes as many as 50 a day. The ladybug is called the "gardener's best friend" because it exterminates harmful insects. However, there is at least one kind of ladybug from the Epilachninae family of beetles that is vegetarian, eating mainly fungus and mildew.

Habitat

Ladybugs mainly live in shrubs, trees, fields, gardens and sometimes in homes. Their eggs are usually laid in areas near colonies of other insects, most often aphids because that is their main source of food. Ladybugs are found all over the world, mainly in places where their food source thrives. Because they get water from the moisture in the larvae they eat, they do not need to be near traditional sources of water.

Shelter

Although ladybugs can be found in nearly all parts of the planet, in a wide range of climatic conditions, they attempt to find shelter and hibernate when the weather begins to turn colder. They'll look for cracks in trees or on wood of homes, or will sometimes bury themselves in ground cover. When the temperatures gets below 55 degrees F, the ladybug is not able to fly, limiting its food sources.

Climate

Other than in the far northern or southern climates, in and around the Arctic circles, the ladybug thrives throughout the world. In the coldest climates, the insect population is smaller, limiting ladybugs' food sources. Where the warmer seasons are shorter, the ladybug will shelter itself and hibernate longer, but in more temperate climates, the ladybug will be able to continue eating and laying eggs more readily.

Predator Threat

Ladybugs have a unique protective system. They are able to exude a foul-tasting liquid that keeps most birds and other predators away. The beetle also can, in essence, play dead when it is threatened, pulling in its legs and appearing to be lifeless. However, for some animals, neither of these methods work. Ladybugs must stay away from toads, spiders and some insect species like the stinkbug and what's known as the assassin bug. None of these are repulsed or fooled by the ladybug.

References

• Goal for the Green: Where Do Ladybugs Live?
• University of Kentucky: Ladybugs
• Cornell University: Lady Beetles
• Everything Ladybug: Facts About Ladybugs