Fun Convergent Lady Beetle Facts For Kids
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Convergent lady beetle (Hippodamia convergens) is **** of the most common lady beetles native to North America. The bug is found in most agricultural fields, gardens, and grasslands and plays an important part in restoring the balance in the ecology of the world.
These insects are said to be natural enemies of many insects and even the convergent lady beetle larvae take part in destroying the prey infesting the fields in the habitat.
The convergent lady beetle scientific name is Hippodamia convergens. This insect also acts as a biological control or pest control agent for pests like aphids.
Aphids constitute the main diet for beetles. It has been seen that these beetles are more effective in the heat, so the biological control in the more humid and heat-induced environment for aphids is more preferable. The insect is found in crops like wheat, vegetables, orchard crops, greenhouse crops, and other crops attacked by the aphid pest.
Convergent lady beetles have two generations (spring and fall) in a year over all of its range. The life cycle is repetitive from the eggs to larvae, then to pupae and adult stage. The larvae are different with a black **** and orange spots.
For more relatable content, check out these longhorn beetle facts and golden tortoise beetle fun facts for kids.
Convergent Lady Beetle Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a convergent lady beetle?
Convergent Lady beetles are a species of most common American lady beetles.
What class of animal does a convergent lady beetle belong to?
Convergent lady beetle (Hippodamia convergens) falls under the class of Insecta in the kingdom of Animalia. This insect is a member of the family Coccinellidae.
How many convergent lady beetles are there in the world?
The population of the convergent lady beetle is not known. There is no danger to the population currently as the insect is found all over its range in abundance.
Where does a convergent lady beetle live?
Convergent lady beetle (Hippodamia convergens) is native to North America. These lady beetles have been imported from California to South America too. They are a common sight in the United States found in New Jersey, California, and Texas. The species are also found in Canada.
What is a convergent lady beetle's habitat?
The convergent lady beetle habitat consists of Nearctic and Neotropical regions. The beetle is usually found in habitats like forests, grasslands, agricultural fields, and suburban gardens. The species is known to inhabit areas where there are plenty of crops.
It is found in the crops or plants where there are enough prey or the pests called the aphid. The usual crop and plant types for this species are wheat, sorghum, and alfalfa. In the winter, the convergent lady beetle is found in buildings, ground-covering vegetation, and under logs.
In all the habitats of the insect, it acts as a biological control agent that helps humans get rid of the pests, aphids destroying the crops.
Who do convergent lady beetles live with?
The species is always found solitary throughout life, except when overwintering. During this time, hundreds of insects gather together. They are most active during the daytime.
How long does a convergent lady beetles live?
There are two generations of these insects in a year (fall and spring). To develop from the eggs to the adults, it takes around four to seven weeks in total. After that, the adults live for a long period while the second generation overwinters.
How do they reproduce?
C****vergent lady beetle (Hippodamia c****vergens) has two different generati****s, ****e in the spring and the other in the fall. Females lay around 200-300 eggs and the egg-laying cycle overlaps with the peak populati**** of the aphid.
Egg clusters are deposited **** leaves and stems and are usually spindle-shaped. Sometimes females might not lay the eggs for at least nine months if conditions are not met. Eggs are laid in clusters of 10-30 near aphids.
The convergent lady beetle larvae have three pairs of prominent legs and look more like a tiny alligator. The larvae are colored dark. Development takes around two to three weeks. The pupal stage is for three to twelve days.
The population in the valleys of California has their eggs hatched from March to April. In the early summer period, the species move to the mountains and lay eggs if food and weather conditions are suitable.
There are other conditions too like there are various natural enemies of the larvae of lady beetles mostly coming from biopesticides. Like all beetles, the species undergo complete metamorphosis for development.
What is their conservation status?
The conservation status of the convergent lady beetle (Hippodamia convergens) has not been evaluated.
Convergent Lady Beetle Fun Facts
What do convergent lady beetles look like?
The shape of the c****vergent lady beetle (Hippodamia c****vergens) is semi-hemispherical. It has elytra usually yellow-red or tanned-red in color. Elytra are wing cases in beetles. They have 12-13 black spots **** the orange wing covers.
Some might not even have any spots. The thorax of the species is black in color and has white margins behind the head. As the name of the species suggests, adults have two distinct white lines **** the thorax which are angled towards each other.
Larvae are black and have orange spots. After the larvae stage, the pupae are initially orange, but soon develop black spots before being the adult.
**** of the other species in the Coccinellidae family called the Asian lady beetle is multicolored and most of them have red or orange **** with black spots. These lady beetles have 19-22 black spots which are quite a lot more as compared to 12 spots **** the convergent lady beetle.
How cute are they?
With their bright coloration, these insects are considered quite cute.
How do they communicate?
The insect is known to communicate using visual and chemical cues. Chemical cues include pheromones.
How big is an convergent lady beetle?
Adults of the convergent lady beetle (Hippodamia convergens) have a range of length from 0.15-0.19 in (3.8-4.8 mm).
The wingspan is 0.10-0.17 in (2.5-4.3 mm).
Green June beetle, found in North America, has a range of length of 0.59-0.86 in (15-21.8 mm), much bigger than the convergent lady beetles (Hippodamia convergens).
How fast can convergent lady beetles move?
The speed of the convergent lady beetle is not known. However, adults are known to fly from plant to plant to find their prey. Larvae are unable to fly and just walk from **** place to another via the leaf veins to find food. **** after the full development of the ****, the larvae are able to fly.
How much does a convergent lady beetle weigh?
The weight is not known.
**** of the largest flying insects in the world called the Hercules beetle is known for its great strength. They are **** of the biggest species of beetles found and have a range of weight up to 0.30 lb (136.07 g).
What are their male and female names of the species?
Males and females of the Hippodamia convergens are not given different names. They are collectively known by their scientific name and the common name.
What would you call a baby convergent lady beetle?
A baby convergent lady beetle can be called larvae.
The development of the convergent lady beetle life cycle starts from the eggs and larvae to pupae and in the end the adult stage. They undergo complete metamorphosis.
What do they eat?
The convergent lady beetle diet consists of aphids, mites, caterpillars, soft-**** insects, insect eggs. These are the natural food sources for the bug.
These insects are useful to c****trol the aphid populati**** in farms. They also eat the eggs and larvae of other insects. To **** extra **** for hibernati****, the beetles also feed **** nectar and pollen from the trees.
These beetles may consume 40-50 aphids per day as they have a big appetite. Higher temperature gives a better appetite.
As they are natural predators of different aphids in crops, some prey in those includes cotton, pea, melon, corn leaf, ****, green peach, and cabbage aphids.
The convergent lady beetle predators include different birds and egg eaters like geocoris bullatus and nabis alternatus. However, the bright coloration in the **** of the beetles makes the predators not choose them as food as the insects can be poisonous.
Are they harmful?
They are not dangerous or harmful to us. However, they might be harmful to pets, so should be careful in this regard.
Would they make a good pet?
Hippodamia convergens is not considered as a pet but are very useful in the fields and gardens as this species act as a biological control agent to the aphid found in the plant of the habitats.
However, care must be taken as the larvae are easily vulnerable to natural enemies in the form of infections from biopesticides. These natural enemies like Metarhizium anisopliae, Paecilomyces fumosoroseus, and Beauveria bassiana can infect the larvae.
Overwintering adults of the species are less susceptible than active larvae and adults to the use of pesticides.
Did you know...
Convergent lady beetles eat as much of the aphid as their weight and are the natural predators of the pest.
C****vergent lady beetle (Hippodamia c****vergens) acts as a natural biological c****trol for the pests called aphids that arise **** cotton, ****, corn, melon, cabbage, peach.
Hippodamia convergens are natural deterrents of aphids found in crops. These aphids are the primary food for the beetles.
Some lady beetles are known to emit a foul-smelling yellow liquid from their legs. This liquid can easily stain surfaces and also create allergic reactions to us.
What problems does the convergent lady beetle cause?
Hippodamia convergens is always helpful and good for agriculture. However, it can easily be carriers of different diseases and parasites that can affect both humans and other animals.
What is the difference between a ladybug and a lady beetle?
The adult of a lady beetle is called a ladybird beetle or a ladybug. There is no difference.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these eastern Hercules beetle facts and ten-lined June beetle interesting facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in **** of our free printable beetle coloring pages.
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