Description of a ladybug. Potassium permanganate for plant health - reliable and irreplaceable

Latin name ladybug sounds like "coccineus" - it means "scarlet". It was the catchy bright color that served as the basis for such a name.

AT different countries this bug is called differently, but each of the names testifies to people's love and respect for this.

Latin Americans call it "St. Anthony's cow", Germans and Swiss - "Virgin Mary's bug", Czechs and Slovaks - "Sun", and Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians - "Ladybug". Let's find out what this insect brings to ours - benefit or harm, where it lives and what it eats.

Description and types

A beautiful beetle with spots on its wings - all the inhabitants of the country know this insect very well and have seen them more than a dozen times in their gardens.

The length of the body of the beetle is from 5 to 8 mm. In our country, the most common ladybug with seven points on the shell ("Seven-pointed"). The elegant bug got its nickname for seven dark spots on scarlet wings.
Periodically there are beetles painted unusually: with yellowish wings and dark dots, or black with white spots on the shell, or even without dots at all.

There may be more or less than seven specks; the color of the elytra can also be in several variants. Around the world, there are about five thousand species of ladybugs.

The ladybug feeds in nature and shell and how it saves gardens and. Cows of the insect world are formidable exterminators of aphids living on back side leaf plates of garden and.

Did you know? In many countries, there is such a line of agricultural business as breeding ladybugs. Farmers are seriously engaged in these beneficial insects, the entire development cycle of bugs is under strict control. In the future, insects are sold to farmers and the bill goes to thousands of individuals in each batch. Aphid hunters are sold both in the country where they were raised and sent by mail around the world.

Life cycle features

Adult members of the family live and winter in open field, hiding in dry rolled leaves or under dried blades of grass. With the onset of heat, it is time to breed, and the beetles lay a clutch of 10-20 eggs.
Masonry is attached either on the bark of vertical branches, or on inside leaf blade, near the aphid settlement. From eggs to adulthood, insects gradually go through four stages.

The larvae of these insects have a brown-gray color, as the time of pupation approaches, the color of the cover changes to pale yellow. When the young beetle emerges from the pupa, it needs a little time for the elytra to finally acquire a scarlet color.

Larvae, like adults, mainly feed on aphids, this species belongs to predatory insects. Throughout the life cycle, the female beetle lays approximately a thousand eggs, from which, over time, a thousand young beetles will hatch, grow and give birth to a new generation.

From laying eggs to the release of an adult beetle in the summer, 40-60 days pass. The biological significance of a ladybug can hardly be overestimated: only one female beetle destroys up to four thousand aphids throughout her life, thereby saving plants that occupy half a hectare of land from destruction.

Familiar to everyone since childhood, a funny bug with red wings in a small dot in one day can destroy a little more than 150-170 individuals of leaf-sucking aphids.

Important! The larva of this beetle has not very attractive appearance- this is a strange creature without wings and with bright dots on its back. If you see such a monster on your loved ones or - do not rush to destroy it, soon this larva will turn into a cute colorful bug.

What is the use

The benefits that a ladybug brings are noticeable to the naked eye, you just have to look closely, for example, at cucumbers. The reverse side of the leaf is dotted with aphids actively sucking the juice of the leaves.

If they are left alone, after four days the leaves will completely dry out and the plant will die. But scarlet hunters begin their work, and cucumber plantations will be cleared of in a day.
It is the presence on these carnivorous insects that solves the problems with the destruction of aphid colonies on berry bushes, fruit trees, on and . Possibility to do without chemical treatments will allow you to safely eat a ripe fruit crop and.

Some gardeners in early spring, seeing small colonies of aphids on some plants, they immediately begin to resort to destroying them with pesticides. It is not necessary to completely destroy aphids on plants, because adults ladybugs will die without food.

With the onset of autumn, it is not necessary to ideally clean the garden and vegetable garden from fading plant debris, because in the absence of dry fallen leaves, empty birdhouses or heaps of brushwood left for the winter, ladybugs will have nowhere to safely wait out the cold period.

Did you know? There is such a sign that portends close luck in something: if a ladybug lands on your palm, then you can wait unexpected joy, good luck. In no case do they shake off an arriving insect from the hand, so as not to shake off luck, but wait until it flies away of its own accord.

Is there any harm

Although the benefits of the activity of beetles significantly exceed the harm they cause, it still exists. Not everything that ladybugs eat is good for the plant world.

Since the bug is a predatory and carnivorous insect, in addition to aphids, it can also eat other insects useful for the garden and garden.

There are several types of ladybugs that cause significant damage to cultural plantings:

Lives in hot countries (Africa, Asia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan). It is also ubiquitous in some European countries.

It does a lot of crop damage. Our climate is not suitable for melon ladybugs due to harsh winters.
- is a real "scourge of God" for landings, and in Amur region, Khabarovsk Territory and on the Sakhalin Peninsula.

In some places, such a bug is called a potato ladybug. This insect not only harms the crop, vegetables and, but also spreads viral plant diseases when flying from field to field.
, or multicolored Asian - aggressive and gluttonous creatures, farmers of North America are in a panic from this type of beetle, Western Europe and England. In 1988, these insects were brought to North America.

With their help, it was supposed to establish biocontrol over the immoderately spreading aphids. But this species destroys not only aphids, but also members of its own species, and today has become the most common species in the United States and Great Britain.
Biologists of these countries are sounding the alarm - the remaining 46 species of ladybirds, which were previously ubiquitous, have almost disappeared.

Important! A gardener who wants to preserve the population of these elegant bugs on his territory must remember that any cultivation of the garden will lead to the death of not only harmful insects. Pests after the treatment with pesticides quickly restore their numbers, but beneficial beetles multiply more slowly.

How to attract ladybugs

Attracting beetles to your garden or garden is not easy, but possible. To do this, you need to plant plants that attract this insect to settle in your territory.

Gardeners have long noticed that these bugs are lured towards them by the smell of planting,.

Experienced gardeners leave to handsome beetles convenient places for wintering - if such shelters are prepared deliberately and in corners convenient for insects, then insects willingly remain in them to winter.
A well-known trick: after harvesting, dry peelings of corn heads are tied into bundles and such “bouquets” are hung in the garden or on

The most common species of beetle with red elytra and black dotted pattern is affectionately called "ladybug". It is difficult to find a person who has not heard about these, but how many people know about them?

In terms of beauty, a ladybug can be compared with butterflies, and the most interesting thing is that they are born almost the same!

The birth of this insect takes not so little time: one or two. it life cycle. God's has four stages. It:
- egg stage
- larval stage
- pupal stage
- the stage of growing up - the final one.

egg stage

The first stage is the egg stage. God's, laying eggs, tries to protect her offspring. To do this, the female hides the eggs of future beetles on reverse side leaves. So they are not visible to insects and other predators. Interesting feature lies in the fact that the mother for her children is looking for a place where there are a lot of aphids, so that when they are born, they have food for the first time.

Larval stage

And now one or two weeks pass, and from the eggs of the larvae, well, the second stage has come. Ladybug larvae are quite mobile, have an enviable appetite, eating aphid eggs and their newly hatched larvae from the first minutes of life. This stage lasts about a month, during which time the larva reaches a centimeter in length.

Third pupal stage

Ladybug is fixed on a leaf of a plant. She turns into an immobile chrysalis, which hardens and acquires Brown color. She has a rather strong shell, in a week and a half it will burst and a bug will appear.

maturation stage

The fourth stage begins with the birth little beetle which we affectionately call "the sun". Finally, we see the ladybug familiar to us, which can now fly. And after waiting a little while her wings get stronger, she will hide from your eyes in search of food.

Few people know how important these beetles are for vegetable gardens. The ladybug is a true protector of plants, it eats pests such as aphids and spider mites.

In autumn, ladybugs will hide in secluded places to spend the winter. For example, under the bark, in fallen leaves, in warm moss. In the spring, when everything blooms, they will reappear and delight with their bright outfit.

However, not everyone survives the winter, so it is generally accepted that the average ladybug is from 10 to 12 months, although in reality the life cycle can last up to one and a half years.

For a large feast, appetizers are simply necessary. You can cook them from anything. Even the most ordinary sandwich can turn into light snack and diversify the table. The ingredients will need the most common - those that are always at hand. By decorating such a sandwich in some special way, you will turn it into a real table decoration.

You will need

- french loaf
- red slightly salted fish (salmon, trout or pink salmon)
- butter
- Cherry tomatoes"
- black olives, pitted
- parsley for decoration

Instruction

We cut a loaf 1 cm thick. Spread each slice with butter, and put a slice of red fish on top.

The ladybug, along with butterflies and dragonflies, is considered one of the most beautiful and beloved insects. Since childhood, people have been taught to respect ladybugs, and few dare to crush her. They are associated with many positive signs and beliefs preserved from ancient times.

Instruction

It is hardly possible to find a Russian-speaking person who is not familiar with the quatrain:
"Ladybug, fly to the sky,
Bring me
black and white
Just not hot."
To this day, many superstitions and signs associated with these charming insects have survived. In many nations, the ladybug was considered a sacred insect, for example, it was considered a servant of the Virgin Mary, hence the name - ladybug. Similar beliefs existed among the ancients, the Slavs worshiped ladybugs.

In pagan times, the bright scarlet color of the shell of cows was associated with fire in people, so these arthropods were considered a kind of messengers of the sun god Yarila. It was believed that they bring a rich harvest and new life.

Later, in Rus', a tradition arose to ask a ladybug sitting on a hand or on clothes about the upcoming weather. If the bug flies away, the day will be clear, if it remains, it's bad weather. There were other signs as well. So, unmarried girls guessed. Catching a ladybug, they asked where they would meet the future groom, and how soon they would get married, after which they blew them from the palm of their hand. Young children believed that the number of black dots on the back of a ladybug indicated its age. Adults used the number of dots to determine how many happy months there would be in next year.

"Don't kill a ladybug - it will turn into trouble" - says an old saying. Some people tried not to drive away the arriving cows, but only gently push with a blade of grass or carefully blow it off. This kind of belief had a reasonable: cows destroy aphids, so this insect provides a huge service to agriculture. In fact, aphids are a real disaster for peasants. Therefore, it was believed that if a large cluster of ladybugs in one place - wait big harvest rye.

From childhood to old age, God's ladybug remains for everyone a sweet creature and gives rise to only pleasant associations. There are many explanations for this and scientific world, and in the world of myths and legends, to which, in fact, this spotted insect owes its name.

Perhaps not a single insect was as useful for a person as God's well-known ladybug. Red, yellow, green, black - there are over 4 thousand species of ladybugs. It is not surprising that since ancient times, man has been trying to use this bug to help himself. God's ladybug insects disappear. In the Middle Ages, healers prepared special alcohol-based extracts from ladybugs and a plaster against abscesses and boils! ladybug and in modern times. These bugs are considered one of the best fighters against the worst agricultural pest - aphids. In addition, God ladybug is an active destroyer of plant and spider mites. Such useful qualities, probably also affected the name that people bestowed on this pretty creature. The Slavic names of the ladybug are associated with the characters of the mythological plot "the wedding of the Sun". That is why the “bride”, dressed in red, cannot, cannot be left - everyone will burn (“God’s ladybug, fly to the sky"). The central character of the marriage ceremony of the sun corresponds to the names of the ladybug in other languages: a lady's girl in Bulgarian, in Macedonian, a wife or an orphan in Polish. With the spread of Christianity, ancient beliefs were also transformed. The name of the spotted bug began to be associated with the Virgin Mary. In English-speaking countries, a ladybug is called ladybird, ladybug or lady beetle. The word “lady” that combines these names just implies the Virgin Mary. The most common variant of the modern name of the ladybug refers to cattle belonging to a god or some divine personage: dievo karvyte in Lithuanian, vaca domnului in Romanian, bozhja sheep in Serbo-Croatian, bete a bon Dieu ("God's animal") in French. The cow in this case is the implementation of the general model of correlation of insects with livestock.

How long does a ladybug live

Ladybugs belong to the family of hardwings. They are also called simply "beetles". Yes, everyone knows about such animals. I. Perhaps the ladybug is the most famous representative of beetles. Perhaps scarabs are more famous. Or just I think so. :) After all, the history of Ancient Egypt and myths are very interesting to me.

So, more to the point. In fact, it is impossible to say unequivocally how long ladybugs live. These figures vary greatly, but still usually range from 10 to 12 months. Moreover, it is very interesting that only one appearance of an insect with the stages of egg, larva, pupa takes as much as 2 months. And the rest of the time is devoted to the stage of growing up.

Somewhere I have already heard about the stage of the larva and pupae. Indeed, the life cycle of butterflies with metamorphosis is similar to the cycle of these creatures. After the larva turns into a pupal stage, it spends about a few weeks in this form and then a ladybug appears.

These little beautiful beetles are truly amazing. I found a lot of interesting things about them and prepared a small selection of the very best:

I could not imagine before why these animals have such a name. According to the main version, people called them that, because. they are very useful - they kill pests, while they are very beautiful - God's grace. Hence the unusual name.

ladybugs are very in an unusual way scare off their ill-wishers. When danger arises, they release a substance that, by its bad smell repels predators. At the same time, in addition to a pungent odor, this substance has toxic properties.
This is the same substance, strangely, the ancient physicians used in medicine to apply to teeth that hurt.

Ladybug is primarily associated with childhood. The moment is naively beautiful when an insect with wings red with black polka dots crawls on the palm of a child, and the baby quietly whispers to him the words: “Ladybug, fly to the sky ...”, makes up her own mind and releases her into the blue heights. By the way, these magical insects fly fast enough, producing up to 85 flaps of their wings per second.

Ladybug - a mysterious insect that descended from heaven

More than one child's mind asked himself and his parents: "Why was the ladybug called that?" This is a common insect of the beetle family that lives on shrubs, trees and grass, which is of great benefit by eating harmful aphids and mites - pests that are detrimental to plants. And such an unusual name is associated with something distant and sublime.

And yet - why was the ladybug called that? Perhaps her biological ability to give "milk" served as a fundamental factor for this. Even, rather, not to give, but to secrete a milky liquid in case of danger at the sight of a possible predator. Moreover, in color it is not white, like the usual milk, but red! Extremely unpleasant in taste, and in large doses almost fatal, it is released from the pores present in the folds of the limbs. Once upon a time, people treated diseased teeth with ladybug's milk, believing in its healing properties.

Ladybug: methods of protection against enemies

Also, as a protection, the ladybug is endowed with a bright color, almost screaming about the inedibility of a pretty bug. In case of extreme danger, a small insect can save its precious life by pretending to be dead.

The above protective measures so effective that birds and frogs avoid these winged insects, even tarantula spiders do not feed on them. If some careless bird dares to swallow a ladybug, it will severely burn its throat with a poisonous liquid secreted by the victim.

Why is the ladybug called that? For children, this riddle is partially solved. At least with the word "cow" everything is clear. That is, to the question of why the ladybug was so named, the answer is half received: for the ability to give "milk".

Why is a ladybug associated with the Almighty

It remains to understand why this insect is called "God's". According to the beliefs of the old times, the ladybug lives in heaven and descends to earth occasionally, as a good messenger. The ladybug (why it is so named is described in this article) can tell you what the weather expects in the near future, what the grain harvest will be like today. Only she can descend on the palm of her hand to hear and convey to the Almighty something personal, exciting or a dream, cherished and distant. It is not for nothing that the children, who are angels on Earth, know magic rhymes with the words: "Ladybug, fly to heaven ...".

Ladybug veneration in the world

The winged beetle is revered for divinity in many countries. So, in Germany it is called the "beetle of St. Mary the Virgin", in England - "the bird of the Virgin", "Lady bird", in Argentina - "St. Anthony's cow". AT old times the word "divine" meant "harmless, meek, peaceful." It is with these traits that evocative trust and tenderness ladybug.

Why this cute insect is so named, we can draw conclusions based on the benefits it brings in agriculture, namely, saving crops from the invasion of harmful aphids, as well as spider mites, which in their short life it can destroy up to 4000 individuals. Earlier, when chemicals and fertilizers had not yet been invented, it was noticed that in the habitats of the ladybug, the safety of crops is better, there are fewer gnawed leaves and, accordingly, higher yields. Therefore, many peasants specially collected small bugs and transferred them to their gardens as a reliable protection for grown products.

Description of the ladybug

There are more than 5 thousand species of ladybugs in the world, the color range of the wings of which is quite wide: it is the usual red, pink, yellow, orange, white and even black colors that attract sincere curiosity and genuine interest to such a pretty insect. Points on the back of a winged insect, which can be up to 22 pieces, are designed to scare away potential enemies. The number of spots on the back of the bug does not change during its life. The most common species is a seven-spot representative of a cute insect, the size of which is only 7-8 mm.

Signs associated with a ladybug

There is a sufficient number folk signs associated with these insects and explaining why the ladybug is so called. Briefly, this can be combined in one concept: love - for God, the world, nature, neighbor. So, in Asian countries, it is believed that a ladybug helps to find your soul mate. If the heavenly messenger is released, then she will fly straight to the betrothed or betrothed, whisper the cherished name in her ear. And then the meeting of lovers will definitely happen. Why is the ladybug called that? Probably for the miracles that she performs, helping lonely people find each other in this world.

Ladybug is a great traveler, and her behavior remains a mystery to scientists to this day. Sometimes she winters at home, eating the stocks accumulated over the summer, and sometimes, joining many relatives, she flies over the horizon to distant lands.

In honor of ladybugs, monuments have even been erected in cities such as New York and the suburbs of Milwaukee in the state of Wisconsin (USA), Tokyo (Japan), Warsaw (Poland), Millau (France) and Volgograd (Russia).

Causing harm to this insect is considered a great sin, so it is not recommended to offend a ladybug.

Each of us has known a ladybug since childhood. It is a red bug with black markings on its back. By points taken insect. However, this opinion is deeply erroneous, and the number of specks has nothing to do with the age of the beetle. How many dots does a ladybug have and what exactly does their number mean? The article will be devoted to the answer to this question.

Where did the name of the insect come from?

Before figuring out how many points a ladybug has, it is interesting to know why the insect was named that way.

How many points does a ladybug have and what does it depend on, we will try to figure it out.

general characteristics

The size of the beetle is from 4 to 10 mm. The body is round, convex from above. There is a head, pronotum, thorax, six legs, abdomen, wings and elytra. On the head there are large eyes and flexible antennae that allow the insect to feel everything.

The bug is different bright color, serving as a kind of protection from enemies. Its color can be yellow, red, black, blue. There are spots of black, red, yellow, white color. Sometimes they merge and form patterns. Some representatives have no spots at all.

How many points a ladybug will have on its back depends on the type of insect, but does not say anything about the age of the bug. Often, the sex of the beetle can be identified by the pattern on the pronotum.

Known Species

The beetle family includes more than 4000 species, united in 7 subfamilies and 360 genera. The most famous varieties:

point to point. This is a red beetle with two black dots 5 mm long. The color of the pronotum is black, with a yellow border on the sides.
Seven-point variety. The name makes it clear how many black dots a ladybug of this type has. The most common beetle. It has a red color, black dots, a length of 7-8 mm.
Ladybug with 12 dots. Beetle 6 mm long, pinkish or red, with 6 dots on each of the elytra.
Beetle with 13 dots has a length of 4-7 mm, red-brown in color, the spots merge.
Insect with 14 dots. The beetle is yellow or black with black or yellow dots.
Seventeen-point variety. The length of the beetle is 2-4 mm, the color is yellow or dark yellow. Found in Europe.

So, now it becomes clearer how many points are on the elytra of ladybugs and how this is explained. It depends on the type of insect.

I wonder how many black dots on the elytra of ladybugs are more common? The most common in nature are red bugs with seven spots. However, the variety of species of these insects is so extensive that ladybugs are known from the minimum amount spots are two-point. Well, the maximum number of points on the elytra of insects is 24.

Since ancient times, many stories and legends have been associated with ladybugs.

In ancient times, the insect was considered a messenger of the deity of the Sun. With the help of a red bug, they even tried to predict weather. If the beetle left the palm, it foreshadowed a sunny day. If he remained on his hand, it promised bad weather.

In some countries it is forbidden to destroy these insects so as not to expose yourself to adversity.

The drawing of a ladybug was considered a symbol of good luck. It was applied to clothes and jewelry. Such images played the role of talismans and protected their owner from failure.

Many signs are associated with insects. For example, in no case should you drive away a ladybug that has arrived, so as not to frighten off fortune. A cow that has flown into the house brings harmony and happiness to the family with its appearance. For childless families, the appearance of a bug promises the imminent birth of a baby. If you count how many black dots on the elytra of ladybugs, you can determine how many happy months are expected next year.

Every year, the bugs fly for the winter, and they choose the same places. Scientists to this day cannot unravel this phenomenon. After all, the life of insects is short, and new offspring of bugs fly for the winter. How they manage to fly to the same regions is unknown.

They are cannibals and eat their own relatives who have not yet hatched.