How Long Do Ladybugs Live (And Why)?

Exact Answer: Up to 1 year

The members of the Coccinellidae family (Coleoptera) the ladybugs can live up to one year. The ladybugs are renowned for their bright colour combination and body shape. The ladybugs are the part (member) of the beetle order (Coleoptera). These ladybugs are different from others, as they have to go through the metamorphosis process. In their life cycles, the ladybugs have to go through the larva and pupa stages.
The insects are protected by their forewings. The forewings of the insects are quite hard to break. Many folks recognize lady beetle by the name ladybirds. Ladybugs survive on aphids. They also hunt many other insects that are quite soft to eat.

How Long Do Ladybugs Live?

The lifespan of ladybugs is around 12 months. The ladybugs may die before the life expectancy. Some ladybugs may survive even after one year. There are many reasons that predict how long the ladybugs would live. The name of the ladybugs came by helping the farmers. The ladybugs helped the farmers in ancient days that gave them the name.

Ladybugs survive by eating the eggs of insects. Some ladybugs eat the agricultural pests that destroy the crops. Pollen is one of the best food eaten by some ladybugs. Ladybugs may diet early if eaten by any other insects. Not every animal or insect loves eating ladybugs, but there are some.

Ladybugs are not eaten by many animals and birds, as they discharge (exude) a displeasing fluid. This fluid is not pleasing for many other creatures. Spider and toads are some of the predators of ladybugs. They may kill and enjoy eating ladybugs. The types of ladybugs found in the whole world are huge. You will see more than 4500 varieties of ladybugs in the whole world.

The ladybugs take around a month to reach the pupal stage. Once the ladybug reaches the pupal stage, then the ladybug would start living their life. The ladybugs will not survive more than 10 to 12 months. The journey of ladybugs starts with the egg. After the first stage, the ladybugs come to the larvae stage.

The large stage will be complete after one complete month. Then the ladybugs live the pupal stage and finally enter the adult stage.

Why Do Ladybugs Live This Long?

The lifespan of ladybugs is less, as they are born with some features. The job of the beetles is to lay eggs and create more generations. You can’t say the beetles hanging out together are of the same age. The age of beetles is different even in the same group. Ladybugs need water to survive, and many may die due to lack of water.

There are many ladybugs that died due to not getting the required amount of water. Ladybugs are not in the poisonous insect category. In winters, the ladybugs would hibernate in your house in search of warm temperatures. Not only in the house, but ladybugs would find places with a warm environment.

Many people kill ladybugs in order to get them out of the house. The ladybugs can die naturally without any specific causes. The ladybugs need their own space and are not disturbed by many animals. The eye-catchy color of ladybugs makes them live long, as many animals don’t hunt them due to their bright color. The red color is a sign of poison and danger.

This saves the lives of ladybugs. You can say that ladybugs get natural death, or maybe due to some health problems. Ladybugs may die because of less availability of food.

Conclusion

The lives of ladybugs are unpredictable, as these insects do have not a stable life routine. Some ladybugs may die due to reasons and some by natural process. The life of ladybugs is quite simple, as they are not hunted by many animals or birds. The ladybugs are good pet options, as they require very little care.

References

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123741448001569
2. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10526-011-9374-6