What does the number of dots on a ladybug mean?

Historically and cross-culturally, ladybugs are believed to be talismans of luck. Some believe that, if a ladybug lands on you, you should count the number of spots to predict how many years of good luck you'll have. Many think the spots indicate the number of months until your greatest wish comes true.

Does the number of spots on a ladybug tell its age?

Some people think they're age spots, and that counting them will tell you an individual ladybug's age. That's a common misconception and is not true. But the spots and other markings do help you identify the species of ladybug. Some species have no spots at all.

What do the dots on ladybugs mean?

Ladybug spots are an evolved defense mechanism. The spots, along with the bright color of their body, warn would-be predators that eating a ladybug will result in a nasty, and possibly poisonous, taste. So, rather than an indicator of how many children you're going to have, it keeps ladybugs off the menu.

What is the lucky number of spots on a ladybug?

Whatever direction it flies away is where good luck will come from. Ladybugs with seven or less spots are said to be a sign of a good harvest.

What do 7 spots on a ladybug mean?

In gratitude, people named them “the beetle of Our Lady,” a name that proved cumbersome and was shortened first to “Our lady's beetle” and then to “lady beetle.” According to one source, its seven spots symbolize Mary's seven joys and seven sorrows.

Ladybug Symbolism - What Does Seeing a Ladybug Mean?

Are ladybugs with 9 spots rare?

The Nine-spotted Lady Beetle is native to North America. Once a common species in the northeastern U.S., it is now considered rare. This species has four black spots on each wing cover and one that is split between them.

What does a ladybug with no spots mean?

Counting ladybug spots will tell you how many children you will have. Finding a ladybug with no spots means you will find true love. Ladybugs with seven or less spots are the sign of a good harvest.

How rare is a ladybug with 2 spots?

The two-spotted ladybird is highly variable in many parts of its native range. The most familiar form, form typica with two black spots on a red base, is common throughout. A melanistic form that is black with four or six red spots is uncommon, but not rare, while the truly melanistic form purpurea is exceedingly rare.

Do all ladybugs have 7 spots?

Most ladybugs have oval, dome-shaped bodies with six short legs. Depending on the species, they can have spots, stripes, or no markings at all. Seven-spotted ladybugs are red or orange with three spots on each side and one in the middle.

Are 16 spot ladybirds rare?

16-spot Ladybird. Our only U.K. species of Tytthaspis is widespread and common in Europe. In the U.K. a generally common and often abundant species throughout England north to Lincolnshire and west to Somerset. Further north there are records scattered to the Clyde.

What is a rare ladybug?

Three species in particular used to be quite common and are now very rare: the two-spot, the nine-spot, and the transverse (Adalia bipunctata, Coccinella novemnotata, Coccinella transversoguttata, respectively).

What ladybug has more than 7 spots?

The nine-spotted lady beetle, Coccinella novemnotata (C-9), was once the most commonly collected member of the family Coccinellidae (also known as ladybugs or ladybird beetles) in the United States.

What do 7 spot ladybugs eat?

Food habits

The seven-spotted lady beetle is carnivorous. Both the adult and larval stages feed on insects harmful to plants, such as aphids and scale insects (Anonymous 1997). Adults can be known to eat up to 100 aphids a day (Arnett Jr., et al 1980).

How do you tell a ladybugs gender?

They can be distinguished from males by the shape of the distal margin of the seventh (fifth visible) abdominal sternite; in females, the distal margin is convex. Additionally, females display dark pigmentation of their labrums and prosternums. Female ladybugs do not mate during their overwinter phase.

What's the lifespan of a ladybug?

Adult ladybugs can reproduce for the first time within several days of hatching. Many reproduce more than once over the course of their lifetime. The average lifespan of a ladybug is between 1-2 years.

What is the luckiest ladybug?

Some say that the redder the ladybug, the better your luck will be. There are even folk tales that say when a ladybug comes to call, true love will follow soon after. So it seems a ladybug landing is quite lucky indeed!

What color ladybugs are lucky?

The ladybug stands out with their bright red (or orange) color and black spots. In feng shui, red is the most auspicious and lucky color.

Do ladybugs have 8 spots?

The most common species have 2, 7, 9 or 13 spots, but some have none! The base coloration can vary from red, to yellow, orange, grey, black, brown and even pink. The spots can also be either black, white, yellow or red depending on the base color.

How many spots does a male ladybug have?

Determining whether a ladybug is male or female has nothing to do with the size or number of black spots on the insect's orange body. Both sexes have these spots.

Are seven spotted ladybugs harmful?

While ladybugs are not harmful to humans, they can become a nuisance—especially in fall and winter when they try to get into your home in search of a warm, safe space to hibernate.

Can a ladybug have 18 spots?

The eighteen-spotted ladybird (Myrrha octodecimguttata), or 18-spot ladybird, is a species of beetle in the genus Myrrha in the ladybird family that lives primarily in pine forests and mixed (deciduous/conifer) forests inhabiting the upper part of the canopy and feeding on aphids.

What is a 19 spot ladybird?

The Water Ladybird (also known as the 19-Spot Ladybird although the number of slots on the elytra may vary between 15 and 21) changes colour in autumn from red to beige/ochre colour, which may prove misleading when comparing specimens for identification. It is about 3.5 to 5 mm. The pronotum has six spots.

Are 2 spot ladybirds poisonous?

No need to fret, ladybirds are not poisonous to humans but they can cause allergic reactions and affect some animals if eaten.