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Ladybugs
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May 3, 2015
Regina
by: Ken Jones
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Lady bugs, a definite sign of spring in Regina. These were photographed on Friday, May 1, 2015.

We in North America refer to these pleasant little bugs as “lady bugs” which is sort of a typical thing for the way we name things. First off they are not bugs at all but are beetles.

In Britain and most of the Commonwealth they are called “lady birds.”

There are many slight variations in this set of beetles but by far the most common is the seven spotted one seen in these pictures, the “Coccinella septempunctata”.
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There is a surprising amount of folklore about the harmless little Lady bug and the reason for that is that they have earned a very good reputation as they are predators who feed mercilessly on aphids and other small insects that are harmful to garden plants and crops. In some cases they are even used in place of insecticides to control some pests.

They are tough little characters and among the last things we see crawling around in the fall and almost always the first we see in the spring as they live as adults over the winter ready and willing to attack the first sign of aphids as each new year’s growth appears.
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