Diane Bridgett, age 12, of St. Catharines, Ont., for her question:
Are there male ladybird bugs?
Insects, like most other creatures on our luxury planet, spring from two parents. The ladybird bug is no exception ‑ only let's call him a ladybird beetle, for that is what he is. ,;bout half the ladybirds you see are males. The others are females, though you would. have to be an expert to tell the difference.
The people of the Middle 2iges recognized the sterling qualities of certain of these gaily colored insects. For this reason they dedicated them and made them sacred to the Lady Mother of the Baby Jesus. That is how the little fellows came to be: called ladybird beetles. The Germans call them by a long name which means Mary beetle.
There is a vast assortment of different ladybirds in the world, each kind having his own design of spots or stripes. In North America alone you could make a collection of about 350 different ladybirds. A very few of these gay little ,jewels eat leaves and hence annoy the gardeners. The rest are rated among our most valuable friends and allies,
The average ladybird is a small hump of a beetle with six short black legs. His glossy hump, formed by a pair of hard wings, is scarlet or bright yellow and dotted with inky black spots. He sits or crawls over the foliage in the bright light of day, caring not a whoop who sees him. There is a very good reason for his courage.
If you hold a ladybird in your hand a while you notice a horrid smell. This smell is a warning that the little fellow tastes even more horrible. Maybe a very young and inexperienced oriole will eat a ladybird, but he will never dine on ladybird again. He will remember that horrible flavor every time he sees one of these bright little beetles.
Most ladybirds feed on aphids and scale; insects. These creatures are among the most destructive pests in the garden, the orchard and the farm. At one time, a certain ladybird saved the entire orange industry of California. The glossy orange trees were attacked by a certain scale insect native to Australia.
In their native home, these scale insects were the favorite food of a certain Australian ladybird. So this little fellow and a host of his kinfolk were taken to California and let loose in the suffering orange groves. There they had a feast and in a few years this pesky scale insect was a pest no more. iJs a rule it takes about 3,000 ladybirds to keep down the pest population in one acre of orchard.
Mama ladybird lays her bright yellow eggs near a food supply of aphids or other small pest insects. The eggs hatch into hungry grubs, which devour aphids from their first day. The grubs molt a few times and then become pupas. The pupas hatch into adult beetles and the‑ hardy little fellows are tough enough to hibernate through the winter.