INSECTA

A closer look · Insect guide

Ladybugs

Family Coccinellidae

Ladybugs, also called lady beetles or ladybirds, are small beetles. Many garden species eat aphids and other soft-bodied insects.

What do ladybugs look like?

Adults usually have a rounded, domed body. Red with black spots is familiar, but some are yellow, orange or mostly black. Color alone does not identify a species.

What do ladybug larvae look like?

Larvae look very different from adults: they are elongated, often dark with colored markings, and may have spines. A ladybug develops through egg, larva, pupa and adult stages.

Where can you look for ladybugs?

Inspect plants with small insect colonies. Both larvae and adults of many species hunt there.

Try one observation

Photograph a leaf from the same angle on two visits. Note whether you see an adult, a larva, or neither.

Observe without handling or collecting. These clues are a starting point, not a confirmed identification.

Source & further reading

University of Minnesota Extension — Lady beetles

Published . Short introductory summary; consult the source for detail and regional context.

Keep exploring

All 20 insect guides ↗