I think most of us already miss spring!
Spring energizes us and prepares us for new accomplishments. During spring, we want to spend a lot of time outdoors. However, spring rushes past us imperceptibly with all its worries, and it is essential to take a moment to enjoy it.
Ladybugs, or coccinellids (Coccinellidae), are a family of beetles with a convex, round or oval body.
They have bright "warning" coloring with various combinations of red, yellow, white, and black, mostly with black spots on the main light background, but sometimes vice versa. Ladybugs and their larvae are predators that feed on aphids, mealybugs, and other small insects, and few species are herbivores. The family includes about 8,000 species and is distributed almost throughout the globe, with the exception of Antarctica and permafrost zones.
Predatory ladybugs are essential in agriculture as entomophages for many pests. They can exterminate pests both in adult and larval states. Ladybugs are involved in regulating the number of many insect species, mainly aphids. They are very voracious: older larvae can eat up to 70 aphids per day, and adults can consume more than 100 aphids. Ladybugs and their larvae are characterized by aggressiveness, high activity, developed search ability, and exceptional voracity.
The most common species of the family is also very useful, the seven-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata L.), which was introduced from the Palearctic to America to control local and imported pests. Ladybugs are also very beautiful insects that are easy to photograph.
Today, a ladybug perched on apricot flowers is waving hello to us ✌️
