What Is the Life Span of a Ladybug?

The ladybug is a part of the Coccinellidae beetle family, which is made up of approximately 5,000 different species worldwide. Almost all ladybug species live in temperate climates where foliage such as trees, shrubs and flowers grow in abundance. A typical ladybug life span is one year; however, some species can live between two and three years if conditions are right.

  1. Ladybug Life Cycle

    • A ladybug will typically incubate for a week and emerge from its egg in a larval form. It will then feed on tiny mites or aphids and continue to mature for three to seven weeks. After this period, it will undergo a transformation, much like a butterfly. In the pupa stage, the larva attaches itself to a leaf and undergoes metamorphosis. When the process is complete, a recognizable red and black ladybug emerges, ready to begin its adult life. Adult ladybugs typically have a one-year life span in the wild.

    Ladybug Diet

    • Ladybugs are popular in farming and gardening circles around the world because of their pest-controlling diets. They consume plant-eating aphids, whiteflies, scales and mites. In fact, a single ladybug can consume up to 5,000 aphids by the end of its three-to-seven-week life as a larva.

    Body Characteristics

    • The family name Coccinellidae means "little sphere," which accurately describes the ladybug's dome-shaped body. Depending on species, full grown ladybugs have a body length between 0.08 to 0.4 inches. Their distinctive red color and black dots are meant to make them look unappealing to hungry predators which, when successful, extends their life span in the wild.

    Natural Defenses

    • Threatened ladybugs have two natural defenses. They either play dead when a predator is near or secrete an unappetizing fluid from the joints in their legs. This fluid leaves a foul taste in the mouth of the predator should it decide to eat the ladybug. The ladybug's stand-out coloring will then serve as a reminder to predators that their taste was rather unappetizing the last time, increasing the chances that the predator may pass on eating another ladybug in the future. These natural responses help extend the lifespan of the defenseless and vulnerable ladybug in the wild.