Read on to learn more lore about these beneficial insects.
- If one lands on you, good fortune is coming your way.
- The number of spots tells you how many years of luck you’re in for.
- No spots? Your true love is en route.
- A “lovebug” inside your house could mean a new “bundle of joy” (ie. a baby) will be arriving soon.
- If it’s yellow, and not red, you may be travelling soon.
Ladybugs also come with benefits for your garden, like an insatiable appetite for aphids, but they do have their downsides: They secrete an unpleasant liquid when they pass away or are afraid, and they will bite if they’re threatened, so treat them with the kindness they deserve.
Five more interesting things about ladybugs:
- Despite their name, ladybugs are actually beetles, not true bugs. (They belong to the family Coccinellidae.)
- They can have more than 20 spots (that’s almost a quarter of a century of good luck!).
- A single ladybug can eat up to 50 aphids a day, making them excellent natural pest control agents.
- They can play dead if threatened (which is a more pleasant alternative to the foul odour they can give off).
- They can live up to a year, which is a relatively long lifespan for such a small insect. (They can also hibernate during winter months, which is why you may find one during the early spring.)
