Ladybugs aren't so cute when they're born—you may not even recognize
them. They hatch from eggs and look like tiny alligators. The
new bug is called a larva, and it takes
about 21 days for it to grow up to be a ladybug
beetle.
Eggs
Mother ladybugs lay ten to fifteen eggs on the underside
of a leaf. They look like tiny, elongated, yellow jelly beans.
Larva
Larvae crawl out of their eggs and begin to look for food.
Mother bugs make sure there are lots of aphids or mites nearby
because the larvae will eat a lot of them before they become adults.
They look like tiny alligators--and they bite!
Bigger Larva
After a few days, the little larvae begin to grow, and
soon they shed their skins. This is called "moulting"
and it happens several times. If you look closely you can see
old skins clinging to leaves or to the grass in your ladybug jar.
Pupa
In about two weeks, the bigger larvae begin to look a
little different, something like a lobster without legs and
claws. They attach themselves to a leaf and hardly move at all.
They are doing something extraordinary under their skins.
Imago or Adult
In another few days the ladybug splits its pupa and
emerges looking very different. For the first few hours it's pale
and soft. Its shell quickly hardens. Its color becomes a bright
color. Now it looks just like its mother—a perfect adult ladybug.
What seems like amazing magic is one wonderful way the natural
world works: ladybug metamorphosis.
